


Brothers All

by BlackHunter666



Category: Biker Mice From Mars
Genre: Alien Culture, Brotherhood, Discovery, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2020-05-28 12:32:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19394221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackHunter666/pseuds/BlackHunter666
Summary: Charley thought she had her hands full dealing with just three Biker Mice. Little did she realise that there was a whole heap more of them living just outside of Chicago, protected by an old school friend. They're all in for a wild ride as the teams discover each other and try to recreate a little piece of Mars safe from prying eyes.





	1. Introductions

Stepping away from her usual duties and the secret lives she lived, Emily Hunter slipped out of one of the many secret exits of her underground base and blended seamlessly into the bustling crowd in the mall. As far as any of the strangers around her knew, she was just another ordinary person going about an ordinary day.

Wearing knee length black lace-up boots over tight blue jeans with a wide black leather belt topped off with a jet fighter shaped belt buckle, she came across as a beauty. She wore a tight khaki t-shirt emblazoned across the front with a bald eagle wearing full combat gear and on the back in big bold letters USMC. But the main thing that kept people from bothering her - the twin pistols holstered on her hips in matching black leather holsters.

Emily was hoping that this big crowd would help hide her presence from a couple of competitors she knew were in the area. She knew because she'd already come up against them twice. She was counting on the detour she'd taken through her underground network to throw her competitors off her tail before they realised they'd stumbled into her home turf.

Hearing her competitors coming up behind her, Emily didn't hesitate to break into a hard run, shouldering through the crowds and looking for another way to escape. Whipping past a narrow passage that led towards bathrooms, Emily thought she saw something grey, white and tan but thought nothing more of it as she hunted for her escape route.

Vaulting off the second floor walkway, she hit the ground floor and rolled through the impact, disappearing into the stunned crowd again. A few people stared at her as she walked away, trying to work out why she'd leapt off the walkway like that. Emily ignored them though; she had more important things to worry about.

{~#~/O\~#~}

Long black hair pulled up into a simple braid instead of the ponytail she'd been wearing earlier and her distinctive t-shirt hidden under a perfectly tailored leather jacket, Emily sat in the food court and watched the crowds, waiting for her competitors to show up again. She knew they would come; her wardrobe change and escape wouldn't keep them away for long.

Sipping her coffee and relaxing, Emily spotted a particular figure in the crowd around her and blinked, shocked to see her old school friend after so many years. She hadn't really changed much; she still got around in blue jeans, work boots and long-sleeved button up shirts, her long auburn hair spilling over her shoulders.

Shaking off her stupor, Emily smiled and relaxed back in her chair again. For a moment, their eyes met and Emily nodded faintly, nudging out a chair in welcome. Returning the smile, the other woman turned and came over to join Emily at the table, her eyes saying more than she knew as she took in Emily's appearance.

'It's been a long time, Charley.' Emily remarked, putting her coffee down and turning to face her old friend fully. 'It's good to see you again.'

'It's good to see you too, Emily.' Charley smiled, amazed by the random encounter. 'It's been years. How are you?'

'I'm doing good, keeping busy and living my wild life. You?' Emily grinned, careful not to give away too much.

'Still running the Last Chance Garage. Work isn't too bad, it's a bit slow some days but I'm having fun.' Charley replied, not telling the full story but Emily wasn't going to call her on it.

Getting up to get them both a fresh cup of coffee, Emily kept half an eye on Charley, wondering why her friend was so tense but trying to play it cool. Then she saw them, three muscle-bound, helmeted figures came out of the crowd to approach Charley, pulling up seats and talking to her quietly. 

Paying for the coffees, Emily tapped at a small microphone hidden in her hair and smiled, thanking the barista and heading for the table.

Charley couldn't believe what she was seeing behind Emily. Around her, the three Martian men she considered friends were just as shocked. They hadn't expected to ever see another Martian on Earth but there they were - another team of three.

One was black as the night, most of his fur hidden under grey jeans, brown boots and a long-sleeved white jumper. 

The second was white as the fallen snow, hiding his fur under red jeans, brown boots and a grey shirt. 

Number three was light tan, paler than Throttle with a dark red mark across his half-hidden face. Blending into the crowd, he wore red jeans, teal green boots and a white jacket over a blue shirt.

'T6, you know we shouldn't be seen.' the black one uttered, crouching beside Emily.

'I know Dirt Track. I just needed to make it clear to Charley that I knew. Take the south route back to base, I'll be home soon.' Emily nodded, keeping her eyes on Charley as she spoke so quietly. 'I appreciate the cover bros.'

'Copy that, T6. We'll see you back at HQ.' White replied, getting up and disappearing back into the crowd.

'We're just a call away, T6.' light tan added, slipping away in a different direction until all three were lost in the bustle of the mall.

Chuckling softly, Emily sipped her coffee and cocked one eyebrow in question, glancing at the trio behind Charley. Looking around, Charley couldn't believe how easily Emily's Martian companions disappeared into the crowd; she couldn't see any sign of the trio.

'You gonna sit there looking for my boys or are you going to introduce your friends, Charley?' Emily asked, eyeing the trio and trying to work out their places.

'I thought I was the only one with Martian friends.' Charley uttered, leaning forward a little more. 'Where did you find three more?'

'I didn't find them, they found me and there's more than three. But I can't say much about them, mission security.' Emily shrugged, wishing she could open up but Blade had given her the full brief on their situation. 'I may have jeopardized their mission just by letting those three be seen.'

'We won't tell a soul.' tan promised, glancing at his companions. 'Right bros?'

'Not a word.' white nodded, watching Emily closely.

'You've got our word we won't tell.' grey added, looking Emily in the eye.

'I still shouldn't have done that but what's done is done.' Emily sighed, hoping Blade understood when she had to explain. 'So, are you going to introduce us Charley or do I have to guess their names this time?'

'No guessing, you're horrible at that game.' Charley warned, glancing at her companions. 'This is Throttle, Vinnie and Modo; we've known each other for about a year now. Guys, this is my old school friend, Emily Hunter.'

'A pleasure, all of you.' Emily smiled, wondering how much trouble she'd catch from Blade for this stuff up. 'I really wish I could stay and talk guys but I've got to scoot before my competitors find me again.'

'Those two men that were chasing you before? Ah wouldn't worry about them again, we dealt with 'em.' Modo replied, so calm as he sat there. 'We tied 'em up in a storage closet near where we caught 'em.'

'I appreciate the help, Modo.' Emily nodded, draining her coffee and standing. 'I might be around to see you later, Charley.'

'You know where I'll be Emily.' Charley nodded, watching as Emily weaved through the crowd before slipping through a door marked electrical.

'She was odd.' Vinnie remarked, earning a smack across the back of his head from Modo.

'Emily has always been a little strange.' Charley shrugged, finishing her coffee. 'Come on, we'd better get out of here before any trouble starts.'

{~#~/O\~#~}

Back at base and still troubled by what she'd done, Emily sought out Blade, fairly sure he was going to do his block at her for this. He took his job as CO for SAU 14 seriously, he didn't like it when things went off the rails but he was usually fair as well. Emily could only hope he was in a forgiving mood today.

Approaching his office and knocking sharply, Emily listened intently for a few moments before she was called to enter. Eyes scanning the room quickly, she knew she was in for trouble. Her support team were already here, standing to attention in front of Blade's desk and by the look in their eyes, they'd already received quite a bollocking for their reveal to the other Martians.

'You three are dismissed.' Blade snapped, returning the given salute and waiting for the trio to flee his office. 'What happened out there Emily?'

'It was another normal training run until we hit Point Delta on the usual track. I noticed that we had a tail and recognised them instantly as being some of my competitors. We took the underground shortcut from Delta to Whiskey and attempted to evade the tail. It was during the chase that an unknown third party intervened, removing the tail for us. While taking a break to allow the assigned support team time to check for more tails, I encountered an old friend and we got to talking. I only turned my back on her for a moment and three Martians arrived beside her. Wanting to show her that I understood, I made the mistake of calling my support team in close without thinking of the risks. I dispatched them back to base as soon as Charley and her companions had seen them. To give them time to get clear, I continued talking with Charley and her friends before making my escape through Track Zulu.' Emily briefed, slipping back into her military training to stand tall before Blade.

Sighing softly, Blade stood and padded over to the safe in the back wall of his office. Typing in his code, he spun the wheel and yanked the door open, scanning the piles of documents and folders inside. Pulling out three in particular, he shut and locked the safe again before returning to the desk and setting the folders down.

'I knew this day was coming Emily, I've known for the last eighteen months. It's pointless thinking we could hide so many mice under this city, even with your support. It's amazing we've lasted this long, we're not exactly subtle.' Blade sighed, looking at the folders sadly.

'Blade, you can't be thinking of reporting mission failure to The War Council. Carbine will kill you; she won't bother with the false sentence against you. She'll call out the firing squads on all of you.' Emily gasped, horrified by the thought. 'I'll fix this, I promise I will. I won't let you give up on this planet Blade.'

'Emily, calm down. I'm not even considering reporting mission failure; The War Council abandoned us so there's no point calling home. I was actually thinking of confronting Throttle and putting it all on the table. He's got a right to know we're here to back him up. We might not be allowed to go home when it's all said and done but that's no reason why we can't combine our strengths and protect Earth to the last mouse.' Blade soothed, coming around the desk and drawing Emily into his arms.

Sagging into Blade's strength, Emily nodded and closed her eyes, thinking about Blade's plan and how to best pull it off. He was asking for a lot from Charley and her companions, they had no reason to trust SAU 14 and every reason to report their presence to Carbine or Stoker.

'Are you sure you want to do this Blade? Once those four know about you, we'll never be able to go back to the way things are now.' Emily sighed, opening her eyes and looking up at him.

'I'm sure about this Emily. I'm sick and tired of that standing order that we are not to be seen by any other Martians here. I'm frustrated that we can't do our jobs properly because we have to keep hiding from those three. I'm over it Emily, I don't care anymore. I just want to live in harmony with my bros so we can all focus on what really matters.' Blade nodded, relaxing his grip on Emily. 'But before we can make any progress towards making nice with them, they need to know more about us. If they realise we're SAU 14 before they know the truth, it'll be war.'

'Just tell me what needs to be done.' Emily nodded, determined to do whatever she could to help see Blade's dream become reality.

Drawing away from Emily slowly, Blade retrieved the three folders off his desk and bundled them together neatly. Unlocking one of his desk drawers, he pulled out four more folders and added them to the pile. Securing the bundle with a length of sting, he handed them to Emily, watching as she hugged the bundle to her chest.

'You've got the in with them, work it to your advantage. The how isn't important, just see that all of that gets into their hands. There are copies of the dossiers on the three guard targets, a full history of SAU 14 under my command, the tale of our betrayal and everything else they should know.' Blade explained, hoping he wasn't wrong to trust Emily with something so important.

'I can handle it Blade.' Emily promised, looking down at the heavy responsibility he'd given her this time. 'But my sources say Limburger knows I have a connection to the Martian mice. I've been able to hold his goons off, they aren't that tough. Considering the mission you just gave me, perhaps I should take on a bodyguard when I make the run at Charley and the bros.'

'Take Falcon and Decal, they can handle any trouble. But I'll warn you, Falcon's got a bad case of cabin fever after that last bust up he had.' Blade nodded, understanding exactly what was bothering Emily.

'I was thinking of those with a little less aggression and generally overwhelming appearance but Falcon could use something to do.' Emily agreed, hugging Blade for a moment before leaving his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pictures of the SAU 14 mice can be found here. If you want a better pic of anyone in particular, just ask and I'll be sure to upload something.  
> https://www.deviantart.com/black-hunter-666/gallery/31598492/SAU-14


	2. Explanations

Pulling up outside the Last Chance Garage, Emily sighed and yanked her helmet off, wincing when her shoulder burned in pain. Yet again, Limburger's goons had made life tough. They knew about other mice in the city and opened fire on any motorcyclist in Chicago in the hopes of bringing prisoners or corpses back to their boss.

Glancing back at her guard team, Emily dismounted and entered the garage, her modified earth bike rolling along beside her.

'Charley! You in here?' Emily called, hissing when her shoulder throbbed again. 'C'mon Charley! Answer me buddy.'

'Emily? What are you doing here?' Charley asked, coming out of the back room.

'Two things. I gotta talk to you and your bros, it's important. But right now, my Harley-boy could use a little TLC. Limburger's goons are playing nasty. Every motorbike on the road is a target.' Emily replied, glancing down at her shining black and chrome bike.

'You're bleeding, Emily.' Charley yelped, noticing the blood starting to ooze past Emily's fingers.

'Like I said, Limburger's goons are shooting all bikers they see.' Emily shrugged, swearing softly when her shoulder flared up again. 'I can wait Charley, where are the bros? We have to talk to them about something important.'

'They're out the back.' Charley replied, grabbing down her medkit. 'Wait, we? You said you wanted to talk to all of us.'

'I do, Charley.' Emily sighed, glancing back towards the open door. 'I've got a couple of friends outside, bros like yours.'

'Get them inside quickly, before they're seen.' Charley nodded, jaw dropping when Emily's sleek bike moved aside without anyone touching it.

'Oh yeah, shoulda mentioned that my bros upgraded my old bike. Earth on the outside, Martian inside.' Emily chuckled, moving back as she whistled to her friends outside.

Charley screamed and bolted out of the garage proper at the noise from outside. It was so loud and deep, it sounded like an earthquake right near their feet. Tools and equipment rattled on shelves and benches, adding to the cacophony around them. 

Slowly the massive bike rolled into the garage, battle scarred black, green and brown paint catching the lights as the heavy duty war bike rolled into the garage. In some places, the paint was worn back to bare metal, while other spots were showing the dull grey of the primer coat. Dual heavy cannons tucked in beside the handlebars and sturdy crash protection arced down to shield the front axle and suspension from harm.

Perched on the rear carry rack, a much, much smaller teal green and blue bike beeped softly and sunk a little on its shocks. This smaller bike was just as scratched up, including an older blaster burn across the left side of the front fender. She too had patches of bare metal and primer scattered across her armour and a large chunk missing from the windshield. Smaller cannons framed the handlebars, and a lightweight rocket launcher sat on the rear carry mounts.

Backed by her bros, Charley returned to the garage, staring in disbelief at the two mismatched bikes now taking up so much workspace. That four-wheeler was absolutely huge and clearly was built to carry a mouse so much bigger than her bros.

'Whoa momma, who would ride such a bike?' Modo uttered, staring at the odd couple of bikes.

'Look at that little one. The rider must be a kid.' Vinnie added, pointing at the second bike.

'Bros, cool it. We don't want to cause a turf war here.' Throttle warned, jaw dropping as he caught sight of something beyond the door.

Ducking through the door, the biggest Martian they had ever seen made his presence known. He easily towered over Modo's already extreme height. Dark brown fur, black jeans with purple-blue knee guards, teal green belt, black vest and black wristbands, he rippled with restrained power, pale grey boots thudding heavily against the concrete as he walked. Pulling his dinged helmet off, he shook out his hair and looked around as he tucked his helmet under one arm.

Behind him came a much smaller mouse. Charley had never expected to meet a Martian that she could look down at. Light brown fur and dazzling orange hair draped down his back, dark teal jeans with a bright red leather belt and grey boots, he hardly looked intimidating but everyone knew better than to judge a Martian by his appearance. The only other thing he wore was a purple armband around his right forearm, the tails hanging down his arm lightly. His helmet seemed to be in better condition, with just an old laser scorch across the crown to show he was a soldier.

Spotting the door closer, the smaller one ran over to it and started lowering the roller door as the bigger one gently wrapped both arms around the little bike and lifted it easily.

'Easy now, Combat, easy. I've gotcha, its okay. Shhh, you're safe. Good girl, nice and easy.' he rumbled, moving to the side and easing to his knees. 'We'll get you fixed up in no time.'

'Well, I had been hoping we could keep the two teams from meeting until after I'd had a chance to explain a few things but I guess there's nothing for it now.' Emily sighed, looking from her bros to Charley and company and back again.

Stepping past Charley, Throttle openly growled at the two new mice in his territory. He knew who they were, he instantly recognised their style, the unit medallions around their necks and the glistening rings on their right hands. But what came next was a total surprise.

Stepping forward, Emily let off a stunning right hook, catching Throttle under the jaw and sending him flying back to his bros. straightening quickly, she squared her shoulders and waited for Throttle to get back on his feet. Hands loosely clenched, she set her feet and lifted her chin, issuing a silent challenge to the trio. Bent slightly forward at the hips, shoulders level and chest puffed out, she made herself as large as possible given her lack of fur. Though she was just a human, Emily had learned everything she could about Martian culture and traditions.

Moving out of the way when the little brown motioned her over, Charley could only stare as Emily turned to square off against the trio, watching as Throttle groggily got to his feet again. She'd never seen Emily like this before, all tense and clearly anticipating something was about to happen.

'Let it happen, Ma'am.' the bigger mouse beside her uttered, watching the situation carefully. 'Emily knows what she's doing.'

'All will be explained when it's over.' the smaller one nodded, leaning back against his companion lightly. 'Didn't think she'd ever have to do this though.'

Ignoring the group over by the bikes, Emily tightened up her shoulders, drew her elbows in and spread her hands into claws by her hips. Dropping her chin a little, she glared at the trio in the door and growled low in her throat, eyes hard and narrow. Stepping forward on her right and planting it heavily, Emily practically barked at the trio, sending them back a step.

Answering her growl with his own, Throttle stepped forward to mirror Emily's stance, trying to push her back with a bark and stomp of his own. When Emily held her stance, Throttle leant into her personal space, still growling in that threatening way. His fur came up on end, making his seem even bigger in an attempt to make her back off.

Her growl deepening and her lips curling back, Emily barked again, lunging right into Throttle's chest. Putting all her weight and power behind the step, she slammed her right shoulder into his chest, tipping him off balance and forcing him back. Regaining his footing, Throttle challenged her again, his growl answering hers as the pair glared at each other.

They were right in close, feet crossed between them so Emily's right foot was back near Throttle's left and his right was near her left, their noses almost touching as they snarled and growled at each other. For a few minutes neither moved, eyes locked even through Throttle's glasses as each stood up to the threatening display from the other. Tail snapping behind him, Throttle pushed in again, muscles rippling as he pushed against Emily's strength.

Emily was smaller in every way, but no matter how hard Throttle pushed at her, she refused to even as much as sway under the pressure. When he paused between pushes, she shoved back, switching from leading with her shoulder to simply letting her chest do the talking for her. Growl deepening again, she pushed again, forcing Throttle to lean back or risk overbalancing.

Much to the shock of his bros, Throttle backed down first. His growl weakened to a whimper as he dropped his head. Shifting into a low rumble in the back of his throat, Emily lifted her chin and turned to the right a little so she could drop her chin on his head without crushing his antennae against her chest. Eyes closing, she pressed her weight down, making it clear that she was on top of the pecking order now.

But then Emily did the most surprising thing of all. Slipping her weight off Throttle, she dropped and turned, slipping under his bowed head and letting him lean on her as she whimpered softly. Picking up his low rumble, Throttle leant on her in return, equalising their positions in the pecking order.

Backing away together, they straightened at the same time, a new understanding passing between them. Emily wasn't just a human; she had proved to be a fully integrated member of a Martian combat team. She knew the appropriate way to handle a situation that could have very easily gotten out of hand. Smiling softly, she offered out her hand in friendship and laughed softly when Throttle clasped it in the traditional handshake.

Leaving her spot by the mice she didn't know, Charley approached the pair warily. She had no idea what had just happened. Whatever that had all been about, the bros had never explained it to her. But that was about to change. She was used to their strange behaviours, but she'd never seen any sort of aggression between the bros…except that time they were caught up in that hostility ray.

'What was that all about?' Charley asked, stopping between the pair.

'She was challenging my dominance in this territory. It's common when Martians from different territories step across the established borders. First we try to intimidate from a distance with the posturing and snarling. If the intruder won't back down, both sides keep getting closer and closer, trying to overshadow and scare the other away. Bodily contact is expected and normal for the challenge. When one is beaten, the loser bows their head and the victor claims top spot by resting their head on top.' Throttle explained, watching Emily closely. 'I never expected a human to be able to carry the challenge so easily.'

'That last bit, where I switched into the submissive role was reassuring Throttle that as far as territory and dominance goes, we are equal. He is welcome in my turf and I in his.' Emily added, resting one hand on Throttle's shoulder. 'Only one mouse commands a patch, that's why Vinnie and Modo didn't try to challenge.'

'And why we stayed outta it.' the shorter stranger added, turning back to his bike and lightly rubbing her tank. 'Gotta say, given the reputations at play; that was pretty calm.'

'c'mon, this is Emily we're talking about. She can stand up to any Martian challenge. Hell, she's even dealt with Limburger on her own a couple times.'

'Aw hell guys, you're too much sometimes.' Emily chuckled as she looked at the pair. 'I can play by the rules…if it's necessary. Unlike you two knuckleheads.'

'Glad I'm not the only one dealing with chauvinistic knuckleheads.' Charley remarked, gaze drifting from one group of mice to the other and back again.

Relaxing a little more, Emily wandered over to her bike and lifted out the bundle of precious folders Blade had entrusted to her. She hated to split her resources like this but with Throttle now accepting of her place among Martian people, she had a chance to make this work.

'Charley, can you give the bros a hand with their bikes while I talk privately with these three? I promise I'll explain everything to you later. Right now Harley, Armageddon and Combat really need your attention.' Emily asked, keeping the bundle clutched to her chest protectively.

'Sure, I can help with the bikes…as soon as you've finished proper introductions.' Charley nodded, heading to start grabbing tools.

'SAU 14 Security Section Head Falcon and this is my bike Armageddon.' the bigger stranger replied, getting to his feet.

'SAU 14 Spy Decal and this is Combat.' the smaller one added, snapping to attention.

'SAU 14?' Charley asked, turning back to Emily for answers.

'Stand Alone Unit 14, a highly trained Martian Army unit. I'll leave these two to explain the basics, I have a lot to talk about with your bros.' Emily replied, following Throttle back into the rear section of the workshop.

{~#~/O\~#~}

Sitting on the floor with Charley's bros, Emily unbound the bundle she'd been protecting and shuffled the pile into the right order to match the ideas she had in her head. She might have claimed her position in this small group but there was still a lot riding on the outcome of this discussion. If the wrong thing was said, a full brawl was still a big possibility.

'Throttle, you recognised the unit Falcon and Decal represent, didn't you?' she asked, watching the trio closely.

'I did, Emily. We all heard the story of the SAU 14 traitors.' Throttle nodded, barely able to keep his simmering anger in check.

'Let me guess, Carbine and her lapdog Stoker told you.' Emily snarled, making it clear what she thought of Throttle's comments without openly telling him so.

'Don't you dare say a bad word about Stoker.' Vinnie challenged, refusing to listen.

'I don't need to say it Vinnie, I've got all the proof right here.' Emily shrugged, handing each of the bros a folder. 'Really, you shouldn't be seeing any of this but Blade is tired of having to hide from you three just because Carbine ordered it to be so.'

For a while it was quiet, the bros reading through the gathered documents. Modo seemed to be having a little bit of trouble but his bros were there for him, helping him with some of the long and complex words that cropped up from time to time. Emily knew the contents of these briefing folders, she'd studied them closely over the last week in readiness for today. Everything that made up the full story of SAU 14 had been included, even the painful bits.

It took them nearly an hour to read through all the documentation, bringing them up to speed with the tragedy of this once proud unit. At one time, SAU 14 had been the best of the best, it took years for any prospective member to prove they were good enough to join the ranks. But now it was a dumping ground for the unwanted or imperfect and the entire unit had been dumped on Earth just to get them out of the way.

Adding to their troubles, the pages of criminal reports that had been filed against the team, threatening them with death and dishonour if they ever returned to Mars. Each report had been denied though, those charged with crimes had sworn on their honour and their homes that they hadn't committed any crimes. Some of the charges had definitively been proven to be false but there was nothing that could be done to get that information back to Mars.

They were good people, every service file indicated a lifetime of hard work and devotion before they were blacklisted and barred from ever returning home. Some of the transfer excuses were pretty thin, but when the paperwork was signed by both Carbine and Stoker, no one argued. These bright and brave troops were torn from their old units and sent to the dumping grounds.

At the very back of the three briefing folders, Blade had tucked in full colour photos of the unit, 58 battle hardened Martians on display for their humbled eyes. All that they had suffered became clear, their battle scars on show for anyone that came seeking answers.

'I still don't get it Emily, why would Carbine do this? Why would Stoker go along with such a plan?' Throttle uttered, looking up from the team photo.

'You know them better than anyone else. Why do you think?' Emily shrugged, still not sure about the why. None of it made any sense.

'Part of me wants to believe that Carbine and Stoker wouldn't do this but I can't ignore what I'm seeing here. It makes no sense though, Mars is struggling to hold on so sending away any soldier is foolish.' Throttle sighed, flipping back through the folders.

{~#~/O\~#~}

Downstairs, Falcon deftly lifted little Combat back down off the repair stand and set her on her wheels with all the love of a father with his child. Watching Decal check the work, Falcon leant back against his newly repaired bike and nodded, absently stroking her tank. Rumbling contentedly, Armageddon inched forward to lightly nudge Charley's hip.

'That's enough, Armageddon.' Falcon warned, reaching out to stabilise Charley. 'Not everyone is used to your greetings.'

'I'm used to enthusiastic bikes but not of this size.' Charley grinned, patting the heavy bike beside her. 'I didn't even know that Martians built bikes this big.'

'We don't normally, most of the time two wheels is enough or at most three wheels. But with my sheer size, uncommon even among my clan, four wheels was the only setup that could hold my bulk comfortably.' Falcon explained, guiding Charley around to stand beside him. 'She's as loyal as they come, always there to help out her smaller friends when they need her.'

'Like with the way she carried Combat to the garage.' Charley nodded, looking up when Falcon moved aside for her.

'Combat's particularly special to Armageddon. I can only assume you've noticed how those three show some personality aspects of their friends.' Falcon continued, pointing over his shoulder at the three other girls sitting quietly nearby. 'Every Martian bike does it, its part of their programming from the first day.'

'I've noticed it but I didn't think anything much about it.' Charley confirmed, glancing over her shoulder at the trio sitting quietly.

Waiting for Charley to turn her attention back to him, Falcon lifted her up onto the well worn saddle and slid down to crouch against his bike contentedly. Coming over to join them, Combat leant up against the bigger bike as Decal slipped into Falcon's warm embrace.

'It's a big part of the unique personality of each bike. It takes a while but rider and bike blend together without really thinking about it. I'm head of security and Armageddon's picked up on that. Now she's the top girl to make sure all the bikes are where they need to be at the right time.' Falcon continued, hoisting Decal onto his raised thigh comfortably.

'I've also noticed how tactile your people are. You two cuddled up like that and I've noticed my bros always seem to be making contact with each other.' Charley remarked, looking down at the contented pair beside her.

'In most cases, the contact is a way of affirming that everyone survived another battle. After a really hard fight, when everyone is recovering from the fear that their best friends aren't coming back, you'll notice the bros will sleep in one big pile.' Decal explained, relaxing back against Falcon's chest. 'For us, it's different. We've been in a unified relationship for nearly five years, physical separation is actually painful for us if it goes for too long.'

'You're…now that I never expected.' Charley gaped, seeing the pair in a new light. 'I suppose I shouldn't be surprised really.'

'Like humans, homosexuality is around, Charley. But at least on Earth we're safe from trouble. On Mars, we had to hide our relationship. If anyone found out, we would have been forcibly separated and imprisoned. If we survived two years apart, we would have been sent to postings as far away from each other as possible.' Falcon shrugged, tightening his grip on Decal gently.

'We hated that we couldn't have a proper unity ceremony until we got to Earth but the risks were too high. Emily did the best she could to give us the closest thing to a real ceremony that was possible. It was a beautiful night but sometimes I wish things had been different and we'd had the chance to unify on Mars.' Decal nodded, relaxing into Falcon's embrace.

Starting to understand why her friends wouldn't answer some of her questions about Mars and Martian culture, Charley nodded slowly and slid off the huge bike. Squeezing between Falcon and Combat, she walked over to where Harley was sitting alone, turned away from the two groups of sister bikes in the garage.

'Emily mentioned that her bike was different. But she looks just like Throttle's lady.' Charley remarked, checking on her repairs to the sleek black and chrome beauty.

'Originally, Harley was an ordinary Earth bike. The mechanics that came with us purposefully didn't change his plating to look like a common Martian bike, preferring to keep his upgrades hidden behind earth technology. They're still working on the last few pieces of kit he needs to be comparable to our girls but he's more than capable of looking after Emily.' Decal explained, surprising Charley with the pronoun he used to address Harley.

'I thought all Martian bikes were female. Sorry about that Harley.' Charley blinked, lightly rubbing his sleek tank.

'It depends on the rider. Male rider gets a female bike and vice versa. That's the high command continuing to make their stand against same sex partnerships. But then, most women weren't allowed into combat. There were too few women left after the Plutarkian slavers went through and even less after the war took its toll on our world.' Falcon sighed, hanging his head sadly. 'At one point, it was believed that women and kids would be safe in the catacombs. Hundreds perished in cave-ins all across Mars before that policy was changed.'

Charley felt decidedly sick as she listened to the tragedy of Mars. It really was no surprise that the bros wouldn't talk about their home and families, if they even still had families alive back on Mars. History had proven the horrors humans could do to each other but they had faced nothing like what the Martians faced.

'Don't be sad for us, Charley. Our people have suffered a lot, that's true, but we're still here. The Martian mice are still fighting and striving to regain our world. We won't give up, no matter how hard it gets.' Decal offered, slipping from Falcon's arms and walking over to rest one hand on her shoulder. 'We're okay Charley, we've survived and will continue to do so.'

{~#~/O\~#~}

Wandering back into the garage behind Emily, Throttle glanced back at his bros before walking over to stand near Falcon. How anyone could think that Falcon was a Plutarkian sympathiser was beyond Throttle's comprehension. He was every inch a front line soldier, scars visible through his fur. Though Throttle was considered a hero, he didn't feel one standing beside Falcon. Here was a mouse that had seen hard combat for several years and had somehow come through relatively unscathed.

'How long have you guys been on Earth?' Throttle asked, looking up at the massive brown.

'We were given the last large capacity ship on Mars…so two years now I think. Didn't really matter once we realised what had been done against us. Some of us were just barely adults when we were shipped out.' Falcon replied as he at the floor awkwardly.

'I had no idea. So much for Carbine's declaration of needing every mouse for the war on Mars.' Throttle sighed, still thinking about what he'd learned from Emily.

'Word from the wise, don't mention her around the rest of the unit. She's no exactly well liked by any of us.' Decal warned as he approached the pair. 'She's responsible for a lot of damage with her actions against us.'

'Yeah, I read the medical appendix included in the files. I just don't get why she did it. It doesn't make sense to dispatch a large unit like yours when Mars is already desperate for troops.' Throttle nodded as he kicked at the floor in frustration.

'Don't read into it too much, bro. It is what it is and there's no changing it anymore. We're doing just fine here, even got us a nice little reminder of home buried underground.' Falcon grinned, tucking Decal in against his side.

Wandering over to the trio, Emily rested one hand on Throttle's shoulder and grinned, completely oblivious to what had been revealed among them while she'd been talking to Charley.

'So, you satisfied your curiosity bro?' she asked, getting him back onto what they'd discussed earlier. 'If we're going to do this, we'd better make our move soon. Blade's getting worried that we haven't started for the base.'

'Typical Senior Commander, worried about timing.' Throttle chuckled, shaking his head slowly.

'Careful Throttle, Blade's quite proud of his Senior Commander Fifth Grade rating. He's worked hard to get there, try to respect the work he's done.' Emily warned, dropping her hand.

'Senior Commander Fifth Grade? That's quite a rank to have thrown aside.' Throttle blinked, stunned by the heights reached by Blade. 'That's only three grades short of General Staff.'

'What's going on, Em?' Decal asked, looking up at her curiously.

'Throttle and his bros have agreed to come and meet the gang. I've already cleared it with Blade, he's waiting for us to return.' Emily explained, testing her dressed shoulder. 'I gotta hand it to you Modo, you do good work.'

'Thank you, Emily-ma'am.' Modo replied, flushing under his fur. 'Ah picked it up along the way.'

'I'll have to introduce you to Revs and his team, they'll be able to teach you more.' Emily nodded, heading for her bike. 'You might want to pack an overnight bag Charley, we're about to rock your world. You thought three bros was insane, you haven't seen anything yet.'

'Just how many Martians do you know, Emily?' Charley asked, glancing down at the folder Emily had handed her.

'Not including your bros…58.' Emily shrugged, wisely keeping her injured shoulder still.

Spluttering over the number, Charley left the actual garage to go pack an overnight bag with several changes of clothes. Three Martians was a headache, she couldn't imagine spending time with nearly 60. She'd always known that Emily liked to live dangerously, but that was taking it to a new sort of extreme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pictures of the SAU 14 mice can be found here. If you want a better pic of anyone in particular, just ask and I'll be sure to upload something.  
> https://www.deviantart.com/black-hunter-666/gallery/31598492/SAU-14


	3. First Meeting

Approaching Emily's small farm on the outskirts of Chicago, Throttle, Vinnie and Modo were a little surprised by what they were seeing. Despite the damage in the city itself, out here Emily's fields were green and lush. Her buildings were undamaged and animals grazed in peaceful contentment. A patch of pristine farmland, mysteriously untouched by Limburger's flabby fins.

The front gate was marked out by an elegant stone and timber gateway, easily large enough for any farming vehicle to pass under. Ornate wrought iron details covered the gates, outlining animals and buildings in a lovely mimic of the beauty behind. At the peak of the arch, the name of the property was written out in rusty red stones against the grey arch - Sunrise Ranch.

'How'd you do it Emily-Ma'am? This looks like prime land for ol' lard lips.' Modo asked, pulling up beside Emily.

'Simple really. The last time he tried it, I put a gun to his head and warned him that I'd blow his guppy brains out if he tried again.' Emily replied, pulling up at the gates. 'Plus I installed a hefty security system to deal with any unwanted guests.'

Pulling up behind the pair, Falcon dismounted and wandered towards the small hut beside the gate. To all outward appearances, it looked like a hastily built shelter over the mailbox with a couple of shelves for larger packages. Opening a hidden compartment in the wall, Falcon tapped at the revealed console and glanced back over his shoulder.

'Helmets off, bros. gotta get you set in the system before we open the gate.' He warned then turned his attention back to the security console. 'And you too, Miss Charley.'

'Better do as asked bros; this is a high tech system. Parts were taken from the junker ship miss bitch assigned us so you know it's got power.' Decal warned, tugging his helmet off and shaking out his hair.

'You guys really don't mess around, do you?' Throttle grinned, yanking off his helmet and looking around. 'This is a real nice place.'

'Took us a fair while to get everything set up right. Nothing left of that junker but a few parts we couldn't find a use for.' Decal nodded, motioning to the gates. 'Even ran a live charge through the front gates, powered by the one remaining engine. Hence the check in.'

'Man, you guys have all the cool toys.' Vinnie whined, setting his helmet on his lap.

'Did you even read those dossiers, Vinnie? We can never go home. Never see our clan lands again. Never stand with our families again. Never spend time with our loved ones again. Is this getting through your thick skull? Dozens of family lines will die out because of this ridiculous banishment.' Decal growled, turning to face the white loudmouth.

'He'll learn, Decal. Don't let him stress you out too much.' Emily grinned, looking back over her shoulder.

Launching a tiny drone, Falcon kept most of his attention on the console before him, recording details of the bikes and riders that he was adding to the roster. Not just the bros, but Charley as well. Putting the pieces together, he crafted new profiles for them all and activated their clearances. With this system, there was no risk of any undesirable getting their hands on an access card or PIN code.

'Right, that's got everyone listed as part of the team. The security system will recognise you and your bikes and open the gates as you approach. If you happen to have a tail that isn't wanted, the defensive systems will activate automatically to deal with the threat. Welcome to the territory of SAU 14.' Falcon briefed as he closed up the hidden compartment and grabbed the mail.

Silently, the ornate gates swung open, welcoming the team inside. Rumbling through, they headed for the large house in the middle of the property as the gates swung closed again.

Weaving through the team, Deal took the lead, sweeping past the main house and into the smaller farm shed behind it. Swinging around an older farm tractor, he opened the hidden entrance and led the charge down into the complex beneath the farm.

As they rounded the first corner in the access ramp, the tunnel grew progressively brighter, welcoming the group into the warmth of a thriving community hidden from the world. Sounds of life and industry echoed up the tunnel, reinforcing the sheer numbers beyond. Ahead, a light weight roller door ground into action, revealing the brightly lit garage that formed the entrance to the compound.

Skirting around Decal again, Emily pulled up first and tugged her helmet off as the noise level in the garage dropped sharply. Dismounting quickly, she tucked her helmet up under her left arm and took a half step forward to stand by Harley's front wheel.

'Welcome back, Emily.' A voice called from somewhere in the gathering.

'My thanks, Blade.' Emily grinned, looking back over her shoulder. 'Step up, bros. it's time you met the might of SAU 14.'

Making his presence known, Blade strode out of the ranks and approached the smaller group. He looked ready for action, rich brown fur and auburn hair complemented by his khaki vest and jeans. Heavy black boots, decorated with gold studs around the tops and dark blue kneepads outlined in blued steel finished the powerful look.

'Whoa momma.' Modo uttered, coming up on Emily's left.

'You said it big guy.' Throttle agreed, taking his place to Emily's right.

'So many mice.' Vinnie breathed, stepping up beside Throttle.

Putting her helmet down, Emily advanced again, looking up at Blade as they came together between the two groups. Squaring her shoulders and rising to her full height, Emily lifted her chin and placed one hand over her heart.

'Prepare to be amazed again.' Decal muttered from his spot behind Modo and Harley.

Dipping her head respectfully, Emily rumbled low and spoke with a deep, guttural voice from deep in her throat. Her tones shifted rhythmically, never once loosing the heavy growl as she detailed her mission and place in the pecking order beside Throttle.

The Martian language had been one of her greater challenges, her throat unused to the deep tones and foreign sounds. Under the tutelage of all her friends, she gradually got the hang of the language and the various clan dialects before creating her own unique accent to handle the strain of the language.

'She's got a strange accent.' Throttle remarked under his breath.

'All clans have taught her part of the language.' Decal explained, mostly watching Blade and Emily. 'Her accent is human, nothing more.'

Resting one hand in Emily's hair, Blade spoke up in his particular dialect of the main language. All Martians could communicate, but each of the main clans had their own unique words for specific concepts and phrases for their ancestral homelands. Some terms crossed over into multiple clans, but most were specific or formed part of the communal language.

Praising her actions and accepting the new arrivals into his territory, Blade smiled softly and called on her to stand tall once more. She had done a great service for SAU 14, forging a brand new alliance that could only bring them all closer. They would still fight for freedom, but Blade made it clear that Emily had the final say in any interplanetary co-operations. SAU 14 held loyalty to her first now, no matter what the word was from Mars.

'We have representatives of all five clans here among our ranks. They stand ready to make you welcome and help you integrate into the base down here.' Blade continued, motioning towards the team still in formation.

Right on cue, five mice stepped out of the main group and lined up facing the new arrivals. Each one carried a neatly arranged bundle of cloth in their hands. A mixed bunch of colours and sizes, they made for an impressive display of unity as they waited.

'I'm a valley mouse at heart.' Vinnie declared with a proud tone.

'We bid you welcome. I'm Crimson, chosen representative of the Valley Clan.'

Vinnie recognised the speaker from the mall. One of the three who had first given a hint of their presence. He looked different in his red jeans and dark teal boots; more comfortable in his own skin…or fur.

Approaching Vinnie, Crimson lifted up his neatly folded length of rusty orange cloth. Unfolding it carefully, Crimson flicked the middle over Vinnie's head and settled it there securely. Twisting the cloth around itself, he cast the next two loops with perfect accuracy, creating neat twists over Vinnie's shoulders and under his arms. Another twist and he handed the ends to Vinnie before circling him and taking the tails once more. 

'Varsi bless and protect you always.' Crimson intoned as he secured the last knot in the small of Vinnie's back.

'Long may she watch over us.' Vinnie replied calmly.

'What's going on now?' Charley asked, looking to Emily for answers.

'I'll explain everything after the ceremony, Charley. Just be patient a little longer.' Emily replied, not taking her gaze off the arranged mice.

'Born and raised in the mountains.' Modo nodded, moving away from his bike.

'Welcome, brother. I am Sidewinder, speaker for the Mountain Clan.'

Modo blinked and let out the breath caught in his throat. The speaker was easily as big as him, peppered with scars that were only partly hidden by his long white fur. He simply radiated strength, highlighted by his black and purple outfit.

Circling behind Modo, Sidewinder loosened the folds of his soft brown cloth and shook out the central area. Bundling it neatly, he reached up and spread his hands, casting the widest part over Modo's head and shoulders with an expert hand. Bringing it down with a flick, he twisted the ends to form a flattish knot in the small of Modo's back before passing the remaining tails around to the front.

'Merlia watch over and protect you always.' Sidewinder uttered, twisting the tails into an intricate knot against Modo's abdomen.

'May he always guide our fates.' Modo smiled, flesh hand resting protectively over the knot.

Now all eyes turned to Throttle, standing quiet by his bike. Helmet clutched in his hands, he looked like a lost little boy, scuffing the floor with one boot. Sighing heavily, he shifted his weight and lifted his gaze slowly. His parents had warned him not to make a big deal out of his clan roots. Insisted that people would never truly respect him if they knew the truth of where he came from.

'Bro? What's wrong Throttle?' Vinnie asked, turning to him with a worried look on his face.

Sucking his teeth, Throttle knew he had to make a choice and fast. Emily had already proven that she respected him, enough to share territory before she really knew him. Blade had made it clear that SAU 14 would follow Emily's lead, no matter what. The only real question was how would his closest bros react to the news?

'Hey, this ain't like you Throttle. What's got your tail?' Modo asked, reaching out to him.

Screw it. He couldn't just say nothing. At least if he revealed it in such a large group, he had a chance of finding someone else that understood his situation.

'I…I'm from the Borderlands.' He admitted, hanging his head again. 'Cave-Plains hybrid.'

'You are not alone, Throttle. I am Fog, representative of the Borderlands. We welcome you to share our home.'

Stunned by the response, Throttle lifted his head again. There before him was one of the stranger mice he'd seen in a while. Two shades of grey across his fur, scattered in random patches. An old brown leather vest that looked like it had seen better days and black jeans patched and repatched to keep them going.

Before Throttle could react to his presence so close, Fog unfurled the dark orange cloth he was holding and flicked the main loop over Throttle's head. Stepping to the side, the draped the wider areas over Throttle's left shoulder and down towards his right hip. Forming a smaller knot there, he wrapped the remaining cloth around Throttle's hips and tied it off with a more intricate knot over his left hip.

'Frinshale guide and protect you against all threats.' Fog intoned as he smoothed out the drape across Throttle's shoulder.

'May they always show us the right path.' Throttle replied, running one hand over the cloth now wrapped around him.

'Ares bless and watch over all of us. A welcoming feast had been set out in the mess hall and a bunkhouse has been cleaned so you have a place to stay among us. Our home is yours to explore and make your own as you see fit. Your bikes already have places in the garage and will receive the very best attention possible.' Blade called, spreading his hands wide in welcome.

As if on cue, the combined team headed for the doors towards the back of the garage complex. Looking around, Charley couldn't see any of her bros in the mass of fur heading past her. She thought she saw Vinnie for a moment, but lost him just as quickly. Maybe that was Modo…or perhaps not. She would have gone after them, if not for Emily holding onto her sleeve quite firmly.

Finally the two humans were alone and the garage was quiet once more. Every last Martian bike was settled in their places, silent and waiting for the next mission. Even Emily's bike was in place, waiting in beside Lil' Hoss.

'Finally, some quiet. Don't get me wrong, I love these fur balls but sometimes they can be a little too much to handle.' Emily sighed, releasing Charley's shirt. 'You might want to move your bike out of the way. Just in case there's a situation up top.'

'Good idea.' Charley agreed, going back to retrieve her bike. 'While we're alone, can you explain what just happened?'

'I'll try. I'm no expert on Martian culture and traditions though. You'd be better off asking one of the bros for a proper explanation.' Emily admitted as she grabbed her helmet.

'I'll take anything at this point.'

'Martians are divided into five clans, depending on where their family comes from. It used to be believed that each clan had their own specific skills and talents to benefit the population as a whole. That little ceremony was an official welcome between clan members. From what I understand, each clan has a specific colour that represents part of the natural colour scheme on Mars. Each clan also has a specific Patron Saint that watches over them. Two are male, two are female and the last one is undetermined. The three that were mentioned; Varsi, Merlia and Frinshale are the Patron Saints for the Valley, Mountain and Borderlands clans.'

'I had no idea they even had a religion on Mars. There's so much I don't know about the guys, despite my efforts to try and learn from them.'

'My guys arrived here with a Legacy Computer hooked into their ship. Basically, it's a separate computer containing everything on Mars' history, culture and traditions. A lot of what I know, I learned from that computer system. I'm sure if you asked Blade, he'd be happy to grant you access so you can learn everything you want to know as well.'

'You really think he'd go for that? He doesn't exactly know who I am.' Charley asked, leaving her bike out of the way and rejoining Emily. 'We'd better hurry, or those motor mouths will have eaten everything.'

'Don't worry about that Charley. One, the catering team always produces in excess. Two, table manners, though not enforced, are expected. Three, my guys won't stand for anyone hogging any one dish. Though we probably should hurry if you want to see the look on their faces when they realise there's no hot dogs on offer.' Emily laughed as she headed towards one of the exits. 'As for Blade, he really is a lovely guy under all that bulk. Just ask him and explain that your bros are tight lipped about their heritage.'

'Well alright, if you say he won't mind.' Charley agreed, looking around the base as they walked. 'Where did all this stuff come from?'

'A lot of it came from the ship the guys came crashing down in. I'm not sure if they stole it or were permitted to take it but considering the fact SAU 14 has essentially been banished from Mars, I'd wager they stole most of it. From that ship, they effectively built a lot of this place. The garage, mess, infirmary, bunkhouses and training ranges are all stocked with equipment from that ship. A lot of the major reinforcing across the base was done by using struts and panels cut from the wreckage.'

'Wow, industrious little group, aren't they?'

'It took them almost a year to get the majority tunnelled out, reinforced and ready for habitation. I had to pitch in with some general home comforts at the start and then I started picking them up some other gear to make their lives here as comfortable as possible. New clothes, leisure equipment, magazine subscriptions, you name it.'

'How on earth can you afford such things? I've only got three and I'm barely able to cope financially. They practically eat me out of business every month.'

'Well that's simple, Charley. I got into a career that pays huge sums of money for short working hours. The less you know about that, the better for you. I know you won't accept a financial gift outright, so I'll just have to start bringing some of my vehicles to you for repairs…and I expect to pay full price.'

Charley just nodded in agreement. She'd learned long ago not to argue with Emily when it came to helping out those she called friend.

{~#~/O\~#~}

In the mess hall, the serving tables fairly groaned under the weight and variety of food the catering team had provided. Everything was freshly cooked and mostly healthy, with a few special additions to make it a real party. Another table was laden with all manner of refreshments, from soda and root beer, to beer and a couple of spirits that the guys had a particular taste for.

Standing in the middle of the room, still wearing her dirty apron, Christine prepared to welcome the unit and their guests. Such formality wasn't usual for them, it was usually a far simpler affair when the guys were hungry. But today, with new faces in the ranks, Blade had insisted that they went over the top.

The room was decorated with sweeping garlands in the five clan colours, the tables lined with flickering candles and an old recording of traditional Martian ballads played quietly. Christine had delved into their past as well, recreating as many familiar dishes as she could, substituting ingredients and tinkering until the flavours were as close to perfect as possible.

Spreading her arms in welcome as the doors swung open and the unit started pouring in, Christine spotted the three draped in their clan markings and blinked in shock. No way…it couldn't possible be him. Swallowing quickly, she composed her face and cleared her throat.

'My brothers, I bid you welcome. Come forth and be fulfilled. Today we celebrate the arrival of new friends and the creation of a new union between our teams. These tables are laden with treats from two worlds, carefully recreated from local ingredients. Eat, drink and be merry! Do not fear running out, there is always plenty to eat when you share our tables. If a dish is mission, do not be afraid to ask if I have it in the kitchen.' she called, motioning to the tables around her.

'Chrissy? Is that you?' Vinnie uttered as he stepped out of the group.

'Hey lil' Vin.' She smiled, lowering his hands. 'Its okay, my bros know.'

'Uh, someone wanna explain?' Throttle requested quietly.

Ignoring that request, Vinnie bolted across to grab Christine up in a warm hug. She was almost as tall as him now, bodies fitting together just like Vinnie remembered from his younger years. Eyes closing, he sighed softly and tightened his grip fractionally.

'I thought I lost you, Chrissy.'

'hey now, we're harder to kill than that, lil' Vin.'

'They're cousins. Christine helped raise Vinnie after the stink faces wiped out their valley home.' a bigger black explained quietly. 'I'm her husband, Braid.'

'He's never mentioned her before.' Modo remarked, eyeing Braid for a moment.

'Probably because he thought she was dead. But it's not my story to tell. If they want you to know, I'm sure it'll all come out while you're here.' Braid shrugged. 'Now go get some food, before all her hard work gets cold.'

Still adjusting to the fact that no one here actually cared that he was from the Borderlands, Throttle moved forward to grab a plate from the stack and joined the mass around the tables. There were dishes here that he hadn't seen since he was a little boy, and some that he'd never even heard of before.

'Oh man, genuine trishroom buns.' He grinned, spotting the familiar looking buns on a platter.

'Well, not quite. We had to substitute earth mushrooms but its pretty damn close.' a smaller brown explained, reaching for one of the buns. 'I'm Crash, part of the catering team.'

'Must be a large team to produce this sort of a meal.' Throttle grinned, picking up two of the buns. 'One of each clan at least.'

'Nah, there's only three of us. Christine, Cosmo and myself. Christine and I are both Valley mice. Cosmo's from the Borderlands.' Crash shrugged, grabbing a couple sandwiches and moving away from the table. 'We do it all by hand, with fresh ingredients every day. We've had to learn a few new skills along the way, but we manage.'

'I'm impressed bro. You guys sure eat better than we do.' Throttle chuckled, picking out a few other choice morsels and following Crash. 'I noticed no hot dogs on the tables.'

'Yeah, we tried a lot of earth junk food until we got the kitchen and mess fully set up. No one was overly fond of the super processed stuff. It's more of a snack or a one in a while treat if they happen to be on special when Emily does the weekly shopping order.' Crash explained as they settled at one of the tables. 'We really try to keep to a varied diet to meet everyone's dietary needs.'

'Vinnie's in for a surprise when he finally gets to the tables.' Throttle sniggered. 'Any root beer? Really don't want to deal with him if he's denied that as well.'

'Yeah, we've got a good supply of that. Some of the guys like it. It's over on the drinks table with all the other options.' Crash nodded, pointing towards the drinks table. 'If you're over there, pay attention. Some of it's alcoholic.'

'Seriously? Man, I haven't had a strong drink in a long time. Didn't seem right, since we were always busy trashing Limburger's reeking plans.'

'Go on, pick your poison. I'll make sure no one swipes your food. If Limburger tries anything, we can dispatch a team of our own to really shake him up.' Crash laughed, motioning to the team around them. 'You can always find at least a dozen that ain't drinking hard.'

'You want anything while I'm going?' Throttle asked as he stood.

'Yeah, just a cola. Bit early for anything too hard.'

On the other side of the room, Modo joined a group already seated, slotting in between Sidewinder and a burly black with some sort of panel of blinking lights strapped to his right wrist. Plate loaded with all manner of interesting food and a cold root beer to hand, he felt more at home than he had in a while. He adored his bros, but he missed the wild energy of a larger unit living together.

'Still a bit of whiplash, hey?' Sidewinder asked, shuffling over a touch to make space.

'Yeah, we had no idea you were here.' Modo nodded, turning his attention to the meal on offer. 'It's good to be around more bros though. Love my two, but I miss this sort of activity.'

'We're not quite as wild as we were back then. None of us are the same as we were then. Too many of us were mangled when we hit the ground here, sort of put a dampener on some of the shit we used to do.' the big black shrugged. 'Name's Tank, part of the security team.'

'Hey c'mon now Tank. This is meant to be a grand day. Save the dark conversation for another time.' another big bruiser added as he joined the group. 'We survived that crash, can't ask for much more.'

'I don't feel like such an outsider anymore.' Modo uttered, absently touching his cybernetics.

'You'll find quite a few of us with various mechanical bits. Some are more obvious than others. Might be worth talking to our CMO Revs about that arm of yours. He works wonders with bionics.' Sidewinder guided, looking around for a moment. 'I can't see where he is though.'

'He built all the team bionics after the crash, relying on a lot of Earth materials. But I reckon you'll be most interested in Odd Ball over there.' Tank added, pointing across the room.

Following the pointing finger, Modo's jaw dropped when he realised who Tank was indicating. The black and white mouse looked so comfortable in his splotched hide, but most noticeable of all was the stunning bionic arm he sported. It was so sleek and elegant, flowing curves from shoulder to fingertips. Painted too, black and white splotches to match the rest of his body. Over his right shoulder, he wore a fairly simple looking blue shoulder guard, protecting the areas where flesh met steel without being overly flashy.

'Whoa momma. That's incredible. You really think he could make one like that for me too?'

'You won't know until you ask him. I don't see why not though, he's a master of his craft.' Tank grinned, indicating the panel on his wrist. 'He built me a fully operational leg, almost all the way to the hip.'

'Maybe I will talk to him tomorrow. Never liked this Plutarkian fin anyway.' 

Not overly surprised by the change in Vinnie's behaviour, Christine kept him tucked close and picked out a few old favourites for him to eat. She'd never forgotten her Valley roots, even though she hadn't been back to her ancestral land since she was twelve. She still had nightmares about that fateful night. Judging by the way Vinnie was clinging to her arm, he was still dealing with it as well.

'Hey now, I promised I'd watch out for you lil' Vin. I meant it then and I mean it now.'

'But…you're supposed to be safe on Mars. The family needs you.'

'No Vinnie, the family needs you now. I lost my place on Mars because of command decisions. I sacrificed my place in the family for love. You're the last one of the family.'

'Me? I'm not ready Chrissy. I can't be the last one. I don't even know if I can ever return home. There has to be someone else.'

'Vin, our family was decimated years ago and the ongoing fight has only made it worse. When I left, two years ago, there were only three from our family left.'

'Two years? But…I've had this for two years.' Vinnie uttered, touching his mask lightly.

'I wonder if the two incidents are related.' Christine muttered, shifting her touch and guiding Vinnie towards one of the tables. 'What happened to that mechanic you were chasing? Far as I knew, she was a lovely Valley girl.'

'I lost her during the war. Not even sure if she's still alive somewhere. She's the one who gave me the mask. Sometimes it feels like she's still touching it.' Vinnie sighed, looking away awkwardly. 'Her name was Harley and she wasn't a Valley girl. She was a Cave girl.'

That little bit of information left Christine stunned briefly. She'd met Harley once or twice and never would have picked her as a Cave mouse. She didn't recall ever seeing the pair interact though, so she couldn't be sure it was a good match. Not that it really mattered. Vinnie was still struggling with the loss of his lady on top of everything else.

'We have so much to catch up on, Vin. C'mon now, have something to eat and we'll talk about everything.'

'No hot dogs?'

'What would Turnpike think of your diet, Vin?' Christine countered, giving him a sharp look.

'She'd be super upset about it.' Vinnie sighed, looking down at his plate. 'But they taste so good.'

'I'm not saying cut the junk out entirely, Vin. Just ease back on it a bit more, hmm? I'll be sure to cook up a batch for you at least once a month, enough for you to gorge on. But only if you at least try to eat better for the rest of the time.'

'I'll try Chrissy.' Vinnie agreed, picking at the food on offer. 'Wait a minute…these are Twister's spiced turnovers.'

'With a couple of minor alterations.' Christine chuckled, squeezing him close again. 'I tried to recreate quite a few of the old family recipes.'

Looking up as Braid joined them, Christine accepted the plate he'd arranged for her and chuckled softly as he set three mugs of root beer on the table. Humming low, she tightened her grip on Vinnie's shoulder when he finally realised they had company.

'Easy, spunky. This is my husband Braid.' She soothed, relaxing her grip slowly.

'Husband? Man, missed that too.' Vinnie grumbled, offering out his hand. 'Welcome to the family, brother.'

'We stand as one against all who would threaten our family and home ground.' Braid replied, clasping Vinnie's forearm in his much larger hand.

'Vin, this does mean that any children I carry will be born for the Borderlands. Braid's a Plains mouse.'

'The only thing that matters is that you're happy Chrissy. That's all I ever wanted for you, dearest cousin. You were there when our family was torn apart, growing up before you were ready. You helped raise me after my folks were killed in a raid. If Braid is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, I support you completely.'

'You have no idea how much that means to me Vin.' Christine uttered, twisting and pulling him into a tight hug. 'Thank you so much.'

'Anything for you Chrissy. I mean it, anything at all.'

Last to arrive, Charley paused in the doorway and looked around. She could see her three, but they weren't at the same table. Thinking about it, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen them apart. Well, except for that mess with Evil Eye Weevil. Here, they seemed content and relaxed, stuffing their faces and talking with the mice around them.

Heading for one of the food tables, Charley thought she heard another woman speak and turned to look. There was Vinnie, practically draped over what clearly looked like a Martian female. Feeling an odd mix of angry, hurt and humiliated, Charley turned on her heel to confront the mouthy white.

'Whoa now, easy Charley. It's not what it looks like.' Emily warned, grabbing Charley by the shirt and holding her back. 'Trust me, she's not moving in on Vinnie.'

'Oh come on, look at them. He's practically besotted with her already.'

'You need to slow down, Charley.' Emily growled, moving around to stand between Charley and Vinnie. 'It's not what you think.'

'Then what is it Emily? Since you're the expert on Martian culture.'

'They're family, it's that simple. Christine is Vinnie's cousin, they were raised together as kids until the war ruined everything. Talk to Christine later, once she's had a chance to update Vinnie on everything. From what she's told me, the last time she saw Vinnie, she was still single and kept off the front lines. That big black sitting with them, that's her husband Braid.'

'I get the feeling you're not telling me everything, Emily.'

'It's not my story to tell, Charley. Give it time and they'll tell you everything.' Emily sighed, glancing at the content pair. 'Look, I can easily prove that Vinnie's only got eyes for you Charley. Come and grab something to eat.'

'How are you going to prove that?'

'Start by getting a meal, then I'll work my magic.' Emily chuckled, handing Charley a plate and guiding her towards the tables. 'Watch out for anything with skull and crossbones on it, those are Christine's spiciest dishes. Apparently the guys have quite a taste for spicy food. If you're not a heat freak, look for the dishes with innocent little pictures attached.'

'Like this little one of a baby bottle?'

'Yeah, like that. Those are really good, they're like a curry puff, but with mushrooms as the main ingredient. The sauce is kinda sweet, a little salty and so addictive.' Emily nodded, taking one for herself. 'I prefer some of the hotter dishes myself, but these are good to soothe the burn.'

Gathering food and picking out their drinks, Emily looked around for a moment before nudging Charley and leading her towards one of the tables beyond where Vinnie and Christine were sitting.

'Charley, meet Revs. He's the head of the medical section of the unit. Revs, meet Miss Charlene Davidson. Somehow she's been keeping those three in relatively good health since their arrival.' Emily smiled as she sat down.

Getting to his feet, Revs offered a slight bow as he reached out to take Charley's drink and set it on the table. This freed up her right hand, which Revs took lightly in his own. Working under the understanding that Charley didn't know a lot about their culture, he slowly slipped his hand up to curl over her forearm and nodded slowly as she instinctively followed along.

'It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Davidson. I look forward to getting to know you better, and learning about all the misadventures of those three.'

'Just go with it Charley, it's okay.' Emily reassured her, not looking up from her meal.

'It's nice to meet you too, Revs. Please, call me Charley. I hope you've got plenty of time. Those three have hurt themselves a lot since I met them.' Charley smiled as she squeezed Revs' forearm.

'I have all the time in the world to learn about new patients.' Revs chuckled, motioning towards the table. 'But first, we should eat. The catering department worked hard to prepare all this.'

Ever the gentlemouse, Revs held Charley's chair for her and waited until she was settled before taking his seat again. Right arm resting firmly on the table, he picked up one of his soft wraps with his left and glanced at Charley.

'Uh, where's the cutlery?' Charley asked, looking around for utensils.

'I can go grab you some if you really want, Charley. They're not common on Mars, so it's sort of become habit not to put them out.' Emily offered, setting down the fried bun she was enjoying.

'In our culture, we eat with our hands, well hand to be more accurate. Always with the left hand, thus keeping the right hand clean for everything else. Some places on Mars have gone to cutlery, but there's something so familiar about eating off your fingers.' Revs explained, tipping his hand a little to show Charley the technique. 'During the war, it meant that we always had our right hand free to draw a weapon or greet a returning bro.'

'Okay, I think I got it.' Charley nodded, replicating Revs' technique and starting to eat.

'The more often you do it, the more natural this way of eating becomes.' Emily agreed, crafting a ball of bright orange rice and popping it in her mouth.

'There you go, you're already picking it up.' Revs chuckled, watching Charley for a few moments.

Glancing across the room as she ate, Emily struggled to keep the grin off her face. Vinnie had definitely noticed the interaction and was paying more attention to Revs. Now it was only a matter of time before it became extremely clear just who Vinnie was truly interested in.

'If you have time later, we can head down to the infirmary and start preparing files on your three bros. if they're to be part of the family down here, I really need to know their history.' Revs requested with a smile.

'Sure, I don't see any reason to rush off. I gotta be back at my garage before dark though, don't want Limburger and his goons to realise I'm not there.'

'Of course, I'll try not to take up too much of your time.' Revs agreed and nudged Charley lightly. 'From what little I've heard, those three definitely keep you on your toes.'

The room fell silent the moment Vinnie slammed his hands on the table and bolted to his feet. All eyes watched the brewing storm, wondering what the hell was going on.

Practically vibrating with angry energy, Vinnie stormed across the room and got right into Revs' space with a low snarl. Fists clenched, he puffed up as much as he could as he attempted to intimidate the older medic.

'Just what the hell are you trying to pull?' Vinnie demanded, eyes narrowing dangerously

Pushing his chair back, Revs straightened his vest as he stood and turned to Vinnie. Calm and controlled, he backed up a step, lowered his weight and raised his semi-clenched hands in a defensive posture. He didn't really want to hurt Vinnie, but if it came down to it, Revs could more than hold his own in a scrap.

'See, I told you he only had eyes for you Charley. Look at that, he's prepared to duke it out with an older, bigger and stronger mouse just to prove that you're his to chase.' Emily chuckled as she licked her fingers clean.

'Ah, so that's your problem. Peace brother, I'm not after your lady. Just curious to know how many breaks, scrapes and other injuries she's treated for you.' Revs offered as he lowered his hands. 'I got my eyes on someone else.'

'See Vin, you can relax. We're all friends down here. No one's gonna poach Charley. Relax and come finish your meal. Everything's okay.' Christine added as she came up behind Vinnie.

'You sure Chrissy?' Vinnie asked, glancing back at her.

'I promise, lil' one. I'll personally go after anyone who thinks they can try.' She soothed, reaching around to wrap her hands over his.

'Don't I get any say in this?' Charley asked, getting to her feet.

'Sure you do. If you're tired of Vinnie's attempts to win you over, just say so. He'll chase you as long as you let him. But it's on you to decide when the chase is over and if you'll become his wife or not.' Christine explained quickly.

'There's no rush, Charley. Some of these chases can last for years, even up to a decade or more. It's usually up to the woman to decide when the chase is over. But in the case of same-sex relationships, it's often the quieter of the pair to decide.' Revs guided, turning his attention back to Charley.

'It's just one of those things Charley. You learn to live with it. I've got three chasing me at the moment. Already called off two others.' Emily shrugged.

'Fine. I'll accept Vinnie's chase. No one else though.' Charley agreed, attention drawn to Vinnie as she spoke.

He seemed to visibly deflate when she accepted the chase. Muscles relaxing, his fur smoothed out again and he smiled softly. His usual zest for life appeared to come out again.

'I knew you liked me Sweetheart.'

'I must have a sweet spot for macho mice in white.'

'Well, he is kind of cute. In a wild sort of way.' Emily agreed with a giggle. 'They all have their charms.'

'Yeah, don't I know it.' Charley laughed and returned to her seat.

With that, the jovial mood returned to the room. Conversations picked up again as Christine led Vinnie back to their table. Some of the guys went back to get more food, laughing and shoving as they walked. Among them, Modo ducked a high fist from Tank and slapped him on the back. At one table, someone started up a rousing song about brotherhood and when she looked, Charley was quite shocked to spot Throttle among the singers.

'Now this is what I call a party.' Emily laughed, raising her mug high. 'Here's to the legend of SAU 14!'

'Here's to us!' up went the rousing chorus from everyone in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pictures of the SAU 14 mice can be found here. If you want a better pic of anyone in particular, just ask and I'll be sure to upload something.  
> https://www.deviantart.com/black-hunter-666/gallery/31598492/SAU-14


	4. Settling In

With the main formalities over, the team dispersed back to their regular daily duties, encouraging the new trio to take their time and explore their compound as they wished. A peaceful calm fell over the base, broken by the scattered sounds of industry as some of the sections got back to work and other mice returned to their newer hobbies. Even Emily headed out, promising to check in with the new arrivals later and assuring them that everything is signposted so they couldn't really get lost.

Gathering in a quiet corner of the mess, the trio nursed their drinks and took a few minutes to adjust to this new team. It really was like being back on Mars, right at the peak of the war when everyone felt confident they could win despite intelligence suggesting otherwise. That bought back a lot of memories, not all of them good.

'So, when were you gonna tell us about Christine?' Throttle asked low.

'It's not like we ever really talk about our families. Aside from Modo's momma and Rimfire.' Vinnie shrugged, looking around the mess slowly. 'Still not sure how I feel about the fact she's here.'

'She seems like a real nice lady.' Modo noted with a smile.

'Yeah, she's always been the nurturing sort of woman. Helped to raise me after my folks were killed out beyond Black Vein Rise.' Vinnie nodded, looking down at the table. 'I was just a kid, Chrissy was only four years older but she stepped up to take care of me while her folks worked to get us all away from the area.'

'Didn't realise you were from so far out.' Modo sighed, recalling the way Mars had looked when he was just a boy. 'Not that I can say much, coming from the Western Mountain Range. Little place called Tripeak Views.'

'We've all been keeping secrets I suppose.' Throttle sighed, one hand going to the sash draped across his chest.

'You know we wouldn't judge you, Throttle.' Modo sighed, watching his best friend closely.

'Yeah, I know. It's just…I wasn't raised to take pride in my heritage like you two. We've all heard it before. Those from the Borderlands aren't as good as a pure line. My mom raised me to tell kids at school that I was a Plains mouse, but an early childhood illness had robbed me of the famous Plains stamina. Most people accepted that without too much trouble.' Throttle shrugged, looking into his drink like it held all the answers. 'It was easier to pretend than face the reality of what I am.'

'You don't have to pretend around us, bro. We've been through too much together to hide this sort of stuff. You're the best of two worlds, you know that. Maybe that makes you less in the eyes of tradition, but to me, it just makes you a better mouse.' Vinnie offered with complete sincerity.

'I really appreciate that, Vincent. Maybe it is time I stopped hiding this little fact. I'm 23 now and been carrying this burden all my life. It's pretty clear to me that no one in this team gives a damn about my heritage anyway.' Throttle nodded, reaching across to rest his hand against Vinnie's for a moment.

'Hey, didn't expect you three to still be in here.' Charley smiled, grabbing another drink and coming over to join them. 'Must be nice to know you're not alone anymore.'

'Yeah, it's nice to know they're here. Kinda wish we'd been introduced to them slowly though. I've got a headache from trying to remember all the mice I've met today.' Modo agreed, rubbing his temple lightly.

'No kidding. It's been a rush from the moment Emily first challenged for dominance.' Throttle agreed with a grin. 'I'm a little surprised Blade didn't try and challenge me directly when we first came in.'

'He seems to have an implicit trust in Emily. She established a territorial agreement with you and Blade's content to let that stand. On her word, Blade's allowed access to the SAU 14 Legacy Computer for all of us. When there's a decision to be made, he weighs her opinion just a heavily as any of his senior officers.' Charley explained, looking around at her bros.

'They have a Legacy Computer here? I didn't think any of those survived the first wave of the war.' Throttle replied. 'I think I'll be spending some time with it, I've got a lot of things to rediscover.'

'Emily also mentioned that she'd talk to the Quarter Masters about setting up a fresh bunkhouse for the three of you. There are empty spots in several rooms, but since you three spend so much time together, she figured a private room for you would be nice as well.' Charley continued as she leaned back in her chair. 'And don't worry about me; I've got a spot in Emily's private wing of the base.'

'She's not just a friend. Emily's been promoted to the Matriarch of this little group. All clans respect her and answer to her when she calls on them. Back in the day, each clan was led by a Matriarch of their own. The clans depended on her to lead them through the peaceful times and negotiate treaties between various families and clans as required.' Throttle explained, looking at Charley as he spoke.

'But when war broke out, the clans moved away from their Matriarchs. A more aggressive stance was needed. Some clans turned to their Patriarchs to lead them; others went with a more barbaric, full force approach. It took almost a year before a new command structure was fully enforced and everyone was pushing for victory.' Vinnie added, fiddling with his nearly empty glass as he spoke.

'For the five clans to unite and accept one Matriarch over all is a great respect. No matter the situation, they will always defer to her guidance. Anything she decides, they'll follow because they trust her so much.' Modo nodded; voice full of awe and wonder.

'Sounds like you three are falling under her spell as well.' Charley remarked but her voice was kind.

'Hard not to be awed by a woman who can command such a large force to do her bidding.' Throttle shrugged and chuckled softly. 'I'm just glad she's on our side.'

'So what happens now?' Charley asked, watching her bros closely.

'That's the easy bit Charley-babe. We head out and start learning where everything is. Some areas will be signposted, the rest we'll have to work out for ourselves.' Throttle chuckled and finished his drink. 'All you can do is pick a corridor and see where it leads. Don't go into it with a set destination, half the fun will be figuring out just how big this place is and how far it stretches in any one direction.'

Getting to their feet, the trio waited for Charley to drain her glass and join them by the main doors. From there, the base stretched out in three main directions. West led back towards the garage. The rest was still a mystery. Reaching out, Vinnie tentatively took Charley's hand and tugged, heading for the northern corridor. Sharing a look Throttle and Modo turned east and wandered off to see what they might find around the next corner.

{~#~/O\~#~}

Hopelessly lost and loving every moment of his discovery, Throttle turned another corner and came face to face with a pair of quite young looking mice. Dressed almost identically, the dark grey pair seemed just as surprised to see him. Both were carrying what looked like bike parts and a couple of small paint cans.

'Oh, hi there. Welcome to our base.' one smiled, turning his pierced ear towards Throttle. 'I'm Stephen and this is my twin Terrence.'

'A pleasure to meet you both.' Throttle grinned, covered gaze flicking between the pair. 'I gotta say, haven't seen identical twins in a long time.'

'Our parents were quite shocked too.' Terrence chuckled softly. 'Terry and Steve is fine, we're not formal here.'

Now that he'd had a moment to really examine the pair, it was fairly simple to tell them apart. Aside from the obvious initials on their belts and pendants that was. Stephen had four small gold studs in his left ear. Terrence had similar studs, but in his right ear instead. Steve's hair was a bit lighter than Terry's too. They both looked so young though, eyes still full of youthful excitement.

'Falcon mentioned that some of you were barely adults when you left Mars. I'm guessing you're the two he was mentioning.'

'Yeah, we were just 18 when we got the orders.' Steve nodded, glancing at his brother as he spoke. 'We had only been on the front lines officially for three months.'

'We were still learning how to manage our disabilities on a combat zone when everything changed.' Terry added, looking away awkwardly.

'Disabilities? Now that's a surprise. I never would have known you had any disabilities.' Throttle replied, looking the pair over again.

'We were both born partially deaf. For a while it was really confusing for everyone, so when we were twelve, our dad took us to get our first earrings. All clustered on our good ears to make it easy for everyone to remember which side to stand on.' Steve explained quickly.

'That makes a lot of sense.' Throttle agreed with a nod. 'I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?'

'Just the usual maintenance. We keep some supplies in the garage, but a lot of spares are kept in specific lockers here in the extra support section of the base.' Terry shrugged and motioned behind him with his head.

'all the extra gear that we've picked up for missions is stored out here as well, just in case it's needed again. Everything from specialised clothing to spare supplies for various hobbies is here in neat racks.' Steve added, brightening with the change in topic.

'Hobbies? Emily encourages you to take up casual hobbies as well?'

'Emily encourages us to take up whatever interests us. Art, music, handicrafts, anything goes. Though, she does ask that we limit it to less destructive interests.' Terry laughed.

'I can understand that.' Throttle agreed with a laugh. 'Hmm, might have to look into my options.'

'If you've got some time, you're welcome to stick around and chat while we're working. Today is mostly retouching work, with some minor panel beating as well.' Steve offered, adjusting the supplies in his hands.

'Sure, I'd like that.' Throttle nodded, finding himself eager to know more about these two and their role in the team. 'Can I help out with anything?'

'By all means, just grab some of the stuff on top.' Terry guided, crouching a little in invitation.

Chuckling softly, Throttle grabbed a few random things from both brothers and followed them back along the network of tunnels towards the garage. They seemed so well adjusted to their situation, he still wouldn't believe that they were both partially deaf. There was no speech impediment like he'd heard in other guys born with some form of hearing impairment. Adjusting the gear he was carrying, Throttle found that he was looking forward to getting to know these young mice better as he settled into the base.

{~#~/O\~#~}

Finding his way back to the main area of the base after a brief tour through the barracks area and the hobby centre, Modo paused and stared at the small garden that appeared to be thriving down here. Everything looked so healthy, flowers of multiple colours in between a few small shrubs and surrounded by some sort of low groundcover. Sinking into the chair someone had left in a corner nearby, Modo sat and simply admired the unexpected beauty, letting the various scents waft over him as he relaxed.

He'd never bothered trying to keep any sort of plant life around the scoreboard. Mostly because he was pretty sure it wouldn't survive the rampages of his bros. But down here, someone had managed to create a beautiful little garden for everyone to enjoy without the fear of someone destroying it by accident.

Eye drifting closed; he let the floral scents take him home. Back to his youth, playing chase with his sister without a care in the universe. To his momma's kitchen, helping out with simple tasks and stealing tastes when he could. Even back to his childhood, curling up in momma's lap and drifting off to a story about heroes of old.

'Where are you going to put this one? Your garden down here is getting a little crowded.'

'Thought I'd put it in that gap between the Daybreaker and Tuscan Sun roses. They could both use the support of a simple Iceberg to really bring out their colours.'

Eye opening again, Modo looked around for the speakers. He really didn't want to be seen as stepping on anyone's territory. Footsteps to his left, a soft laugh and two mice appeared around the corner leading back towards the hobby area. White and khaki, Modo guessed they were a little shorter than Throttle.

The khaki one was carrying a potted plant in full bloom, each step shaking the delicate white flowers. Beside him, the white had an assortment of gardening tools and a bottle of some sort of brown liquid.

'Oh, sorry. Didn't realise this was anyone's special place.' Modo offered, getting to his feet quickly.

'We tend to it, but it's here for everyone to enjoy. It's my little addition to the base.' the khaki explained, setting the pot down carefully. 'I'm Emission and this is Braidy, my bonded mate.'

'Welcome to our little corner of this planet.' Braidy added with a smile. 'Everyone was getting sick of the same grey and brown walls, so we decided to put in some colour wherever there was some space.'

'It's really lovely. Wish I had space for something green of my own, but with my bros, it'd never survive.' Modo grinned, offering out his flesh hand in greeting.

'Well, you're more than welcome to help with my gardens while you're here. I've got a couple larger greenhouses up top as well.' Emission offered, gripping Modo's hand firmly.

'Oh, be honest. You just want someone to do the heavy lifting when Plate's not available.' Braidy laughed as he shook Modo's hand.

'Hey, I won't deny it'd be nice to have some extra help.' Emission shrugged. 'Plate's my big brother. Helps out when he can but he's got his own life and duties.'

'I'm happy to help with whatever needs doing.' Modo nodded, attention drawn back to the garden. 'It sorta reminds me of my momma.'

'Quite a few of the guys have noticed that. The combined scents bring up a lot of memories of home, but it's not quite right.' Emission chuckled. 'C'mon, you can give us a hand with this new rose. The double delight I had here died for some reason.'

'Didn't realise they all had different names. Not that I get much time to really appreciate the plant life of Earth.' Modo smiled as he looked the garden over again.

'This is a standard Iceberg rose. It won't get much taller, but it will thicken up as it grows and when it blooms, it's covered with lovely open white flowers.' Emission explained as he lightly ran his fingers over the leaves

'Here, go right ahead. In that open gap there.' Braidy added, handing over a small hand shovel. 'About as deep as the pot.'

Perching on the stone edge, Modo pushed the mulch layer aside and started to dig. Glancing at the pot for a moment, he put the shovel aside and stuck his hands in the cool earth. Piling up the excess dirt to one side, he turned and accepted the waiting rose gently. Holding it steady as Emission loosened the roots a little, he set it in the hole and tamped the dirt back around it securely.

'Perfect, just like I figured.' Emission chuckled as he stepped back to admire the new plant.

'Yeah, it did need the white to support these brighter roses.' Braidy agreed, opening the bottle and pouring a measure around the root area. 'That should give it the best chance to thrive down here.'

{~#~/O\~#~}

Not totally sure where Vinnie had wandered off to, Charley wandered along a different corridor, peeking into the various rooms she discovered. To her, it was almost unbelievable that these rooms belonged to mice. They were all impeccably clean and organised, each one specifically set up for a different task.

Passing through a well stocked armoury, she kept going, amazed that they were so open with their various hobbies and interests. Nothing was put away and almost all the doors were open wide in invitation.

In the next room, she discovered a charming little artists' studio, complete with paintings in various stages of completion against every wall and mounted on several easels in the room. This room wasn't quite as clean as some others; the floor was speckled with paint of every colour imaginable.

At one of the easels, apparently lost in his own world, stood a dark brown mouse. He could almost be called chocolate. Taller than Throttle and with shoulders that could rival Modo's, he hardly looked like an artist. Looking up from his work, he smiled and beckoned Charley to enter.

'It's okay, Ma'am, you're welcome in here. Don't think we've been introduced officially. I'm Raider, part of the demolition department.' He chuckled. 'Must be good at it, still got all my fingers.'

'Charley Davidson, it's nice to meet you.' Charley smiled as she entered and got a better look at some of the images. 'You have quite a talent.'

'Thanks. Been into painting since I was a kid, but had to abandon it when war broke out. Wasn't until we settled in here that I went back to it. Helps that Emily really encouraged us all to take up hobbies. She goes above and beyond all the time; sourced my paints from one of the best oil point manufactures in the world. Did the same for Bits' acrylics, he's got a space just down the corridor.' Raider explained, vaguely gesturing to the right as he spoke.

'I'll wander down that way and have a look.' Charley nodded, still trying to take in everything in Raider's studio. 'What are you working on at the moment?'

'Oh, this is a special piece for Emily. Her birthday is coming up, wanted to do something special for her. Something to show how much she means to all of us.' Raider replied, one hand running through his hair quickly. 'What do you think so far?'

Coming around to stand beside Raider, Charley stared in awe and amazement. He'd made it sound like he was just doing something simple, but what she saw was absolutely incredible.

It was clearly a full body portrait of Emily, but it an outfit Charley could never imagine. She stood tall and proud, dressed head to toe in a sharp, angular suit of armour detailed in orange, red and brown. Attached to the left shoulder, a lighter cloak draped across her chest, tucked through her belt and wrapped around behind to highlight her legs.

In her right hand, she held a darker orange helmet with a raised crest running over the top. The ridges were detailed with crisp white runes and the crest appeared to have small gemstones lining the top edge. On her left arm, a massive shield covered in strange symbols and what looked like constellations. And over her right shoulder, the ornate hilt of a sword almost appeared to shine.

'I've never seen anything like this before. It's clearly Emily, but this outfit doesn't seem like something she would own.' Charley remarked, still gazing at the artwork.

'Have your bros taught you anything of Martian culture?' Raider asked quietly.

'Nothing really obvious. Why?'

'Mars is protected by a pantheon of deities. Deities for clans, for elements, directions, weather and everything to do with daily life. Every Martian is blessed by multiple deities. Our clan deity is first, then our main protector reveals their identity to us in a trance ritual. I am protected by Frinshale, Patron Saint of the Borderlands and Temka, God of the Sky.' Raider explained.

'I had no idea your people had such a detailed religion.' Charley remarked, astounded by this new information.

'We were able to guide Emily through the ritual and she was chosen by Faumra, Goddess of Protection. Since she's also our current matriarch, it's proper to have a painting down of her dressed in the garb of her Goddess.'

'The guys never told me any of this. If I'd known, I could have organised a space for them to worship their deities in peace.' Charley uttered as she shook her head slowly.

'We don't need any special place, Charley. Any quiet place will do, though it's better if there's direct sunlight or moonlight into the space. Most of us carry small statues of our deities so we always have that representation to hold and pray to when we need help or support.'

Looking at the painting again, Charley smiled softly. Somehow it wasn't a surprise that Emily had been picked by a protector deity. Not only had she welcomed a large alien team into her home, she'd sacrificed so much to keep them all safe. It was inspiring really.

'I've known Emily for years, we went to school together. I'm sure she'll love this painting and give it pride of place where it can be admired by everyone.' Charley nodded, looking up at Raider again.

'I really hope so. It's been a long time since I painted anything this important.' Raider shrugged and looked away. 'Didn't think I'd ever be one to paint a matriarch portrait.'

'She'll love it, no doubt there. One little thing though. If you can, add some dark green into her eyes. When Emily gets seriously angry, her eyes take on a dark green hue.'

'I didn't know that. Thanks so much, I should be able to blend in a deep green without too much trouble.' Raider grinned, turning to his wall of paint colours. 'Hmm, which one?'

'That one, bottle green number 14.' Charley suggested, peering at the wall of options.

'I like that shade.'

{~#~/O\~#~}

Finding a quiet spot on top of a rock climbing wall in the training wing of the base, Vinnie tucked his back in the corner and stared out across the training grounds with unseeing eyes. While he was thankful to have extra support in case it was needed, Vinnie was deeply troubled by the presence of his beloved cousin on Earth.

He owed so much to Christine; she'd been there for him through so much. Not just raising him, but teaching him how to stand on his own two feet. He'd lost count of how many times she's been there to pick him up and patch his wounds with a tender hand. Even before his parents had been killed, she had been there to care for him.

The fact she was now married didn't bother him at all. Braid was a good match for her and clearly took her safety seriously. He'd seen all the signs, Braid was totally devoted to Christine's ongoing safety.

'Hey, you mind some company bro?' someone called, drawing Vinnie's attention down the wall.

Near the bottom, a silver-brown mouse stood waiting, one foot resting lightly on the wall. He didn't seem too concerned one way or the other and Vinnie really could use someone to talk to. Someone who could even give him some insight into Christine's service.

'Sure bro, come on up.'

In almost no time, the silver-brown made it up and over the top of the wall, bare feet making no sound as he padded over to sit beside Vinnie. He gave off an air of relaxed laziness, wearing just a pair of modified green sweatpants instead of jeans.

'I guess with so many guys here, you don't all have to be ready at once.' Vinnie remarked, shifting out of his corner a little.

'Yeah, we take it in shifts most of the time. Don't want ol' lard lips to realise how many of us there are around Chicago.' he grinned. 'Name's Splat, part of the explosives team. Save the jokes, I've here them all before.'

'Not really in the mood for jokes right now.' Vinnie shrugged, gaze wandering back out across the training area. 'Still trying to figure out how I feel about what Christine's doing.'

'Ahh, I see. Let me try and offer some insight then.' Splat nodded as he shifted into a more comfortable position. 'You might not want to hear some of this, but it's important.'

Dragging his attention back, Vinnie turned to fully face Splat and settled in to listen to the story. He had to know what drove Christine into a place on the front lines where anything could happen.

'from the day she was first welcomed into the unit, Christine made it clear that she would not stand for being treated as anything less than one of the guys. I suspect that's part of what attracted Braid to her. I joined a few weeks before her, so I got to witness how she made her name in the unit. At first Blade didn't want her, concerned about what might happen if Command heard we had a woman in our ranks. Took her a month to demonstrate that she was just as mean as any of us and just as capable of dealing with the trouble we faced on a daily basis.' Splat explained, bowing his head as he spoke. 'She proved to be the meanest rider in the unit, up until Falcon was inducted.'

'So what changed bro? Last I heard, women weren't meant to be on front line service.' Vinnie asked.

'Nothing changed bro. Those laws are still in effect, but less folk are paying it any attention. As Christine said, if it's good enough for Carbine, it's good enough for the ladies of Mars. She wasn't going to be one of those war widows left at home crying for her man. She wasn't going to sit back and see more families torn apart like hers was.'

'Yeah, we both lost a lot when the stink faces came through our little valley.' Vinnie sighed and looked away as he remembered the devastation.

'There a movement on Mars now, started by your dear cousin. The other women of Mars will step off the front lines when Carbine surrenders her title and joins one of the female communes in the lowest catacombs where she will be safe and away from the fighting. But until then, Christine is staying on the front line where she feels like she belongs.' Splat shrugged, voice turning hard when he mentioned Carbine. 'Though everyone knows that bitch will never give up her command. She likes it too much.'

'But aren't you guys at least trying to keep Chrissy safe? This war is dangerous and she's precious to the family.' Vinnie worried, tucking one knee to his chest protectively.

'Vinnie, we don't need to protect her. Christine is easily the equal of any mouse in the unit. If she needs help, and that's a rare if, she's got Braid somewhere close at all times. Besides, if anyone was dumb enough to try and stop her, she'd just whip our tails and join the fight anyway.' Splat chuckled as he extended his left arm, revealing a broad scar on the back of his wrist. 'That's my warning mark for trying to hold her back. She shattered my wrist, then apologised and raced off into battle.'

'Man, she sure has changed since the last time we were together.'

'Blame the war, Vinnie. Blame it on the politics and policies of our fallen government. Christine's fighting not just to save Mars, but to show that Martian women don't need to be protected. She's fighting to give everyone a fair chance in life.'

'Yeah, that sounds like something she'd say. I still don't feel comfortable with her on the front lines…but if that's her decision, I'll try to accept it.' Vinnie nodded, tugging at his gloves nervously. 'Suppose that means I'll have to stop trying to protect Charley girl as much too.'

'Smart move, not sure how Christine will react to your usual chauvinistic antics around Charley. And if you value your good looks, do not even think about trying that shit with Emily. She will not hesitate to pound you into pulp for the insult to her skills.' Splat warned, voice turning deadly serious. 'She's already proved that point to Falcon and Blade, so I strongly suggest you don't even consider it.'

{~#~/O\~#~}

'I had no idea your culture was so complex, guys.' Charley remarked as she joined them at the table with a plate of pot-roast beef and all the trimmings.

'What do you mean Charley-ma'am?' Modo asked between mouthfuls.

'Your pantheon of deities, the matriarchal society, the symbolism of your earrings and so on.' Charley grinned and leaned back in her chair.

'We didn't want to bore you with all the history, Charley babe. It's really not that exciting, despite it being alien to this world.' Throttle shrugged.

'I don't know about that. Raider made it sound quite interesting. I only know of a handful of religions that worship a pantheon, but most of those are dead cultures.' Charley continued, looking around the room for any sign of Raider. 'I had no idea Mars had such a pantheon.'

'Yeah, it was kinda weird to discover most humans only worship one deity. Though, I guess it would make it easier. Instead of trying to remember nearly fifty deities, and what they all represent, you've just got the one overreaching deity that handles everything.' Vinnie grinned, shifting his chair closer to Charley.

'Raider also told me that Emily took part in a trance ritual to find her place among them. She was chosen by Faumra and now carries her symbol proudly.'

'Whoa, seriously? I didn't even think that was possible.' Modo uttered, fork frozen halfway to his mouth. 'But I can see why Faumra chose Emily; she's got a real protective streak in her.'

'I don't know how to lead someone through the ritual. If you really want to go through with it, we'll have to find out who taught Emily and see if they'll take you through it.' Throttle nodded; half his attention on Charley as he spoke.

'I feel like its something I should at least try and do. You guys have tried so many earth customs; it's time I made a real effort.' Charley replied, confident in her choice.

'Yissa will pick our Charley, I just know it.' Vinnie insisted with a wide smile.

'Vincent, you can't know that. For all you know, Ki-Arva might welcome her. Or even Belta.' Throttle sighed and shook his head. 'Did you honestly expect your protector deity?'

'Well, no. Neplon was a surprise for the family.'

'Uh, guys?' Charley cut in quickly.

'Oh, sorry Charley-ma'am. Let me see if I can remember them all. Yissa is the Goddess of Beauty. Ki-Arva, God of Medicine. Belta, Goddess of the Forgotten. Neplon is the God of the Desert.' Modo listed, ticking them off on his fingers as he spoke. 'I was chosen by Lomra, Goddess of Family.'

'Ares, leader of the pantheon.' Throttle added with a shrug. 'Go figure, I was destined to lead from the start.'

'Hey guys, settling in okay?' Emily asked as she wandered over to join them.

'Yeah, it's been really nice to relax and get to know the guys.' Modo nodded, nudging a chair out for Emily to sit.

'I still can't believe ol' lard butt hasn't tried anything against you or this place.' Vinnie added with a faint smile. 'It's a paradise out here.'

'It isn't always so peaceful, Vinnie. We've had our share of brawls out here, trying to protect my little patch of dirt. Limburger has already lost quite a few goons in his attempts to take my home. I seriously doubt he'll ever try it again.'

'So we'll always have a safe place to hide if things get real hot in Chi-town.' Throttle nodded as he scraped his plate clean. 'Who would be the best mouse to ask about the old traditions and rituals?'

'Raider mentioned that he'd told Charley about my blessing. I suggest you talk to Streaks about it; he's got all the old traditions in his head. He taught me the blessing rituals and was there to guide me through the event like a parent should. You can't miss him, just look for the guy with bright orange streaks in his hair.' 

'Is there someone else who can escort Charley home tonight? I'd really like to stay with Chrissy and catch up.' Vinnie requested softly. 'I know she can protect herself but…'

'Say no more, Vinnie. I know just the mouse.' Emily chuckled as she stood. 'Shift! I need you for a moment.'

'You got it Em.'

Approaching the table, it became clear why she'd called on Shift out of everyone gathered in the room. Aside from his neatly braided chocolate brown hair and a few inches of black fur at the tip of his tail, he was a perfect physical match for Vinnie. A change of pants and he could easily pass for the loud-mouthed mouse.

'We lucked out with that one. Otherwise, it's a case of close enough will just have to do. It's either same height or close to same colour with you two.' Shift grinned; his stutter barely noticeable this time.

'Honestly, so long as there are three mice in the team and they're all generally average, I seriously doubt Limburger will even notice the difference. He's not that smart.' Charley shrugged and settled back. 'Just look at the average intelligence of his goons.'

'They don't have to be smart to be dangerous, Charley. Last few months, those goons have been going after any motorcyclist they can find.' Emily warmed as she rubbed her shoulder lightly. 'But I'm not too concerned about them.'

'I'll prep a team and make sure they understand this is just a protection detail. No going after the goons unless they start shit.' Shift nodded, only stuttering slightly on his Ps.

'Good, I know you'll pick a strong team. Finish your meal first; you know how Christine can get.'

'Like I'd pass up anything Christine cooks.' Shard laughed, tapping tow fingers to his forehead as he turned and wandered away.

'Yes, Shard stutters. He's one of six that lives with the condition. Some have it worse than others; a couple of them wear medical devices to help control the worst of it, but sometimes the odd stutter slips through.' Emily explained as she sat down again. 'The guys here have quite a few medical issues, but we manage.'

'I always knew you had a heart of gold under your hard ass attitude.' Charley grinned.

'It's a little tarnished by now Charley.' Emily admitted with a shrug.

{~#~/O\~#~}

Head still spinning as she made her way back to the garage, Charley couldn't wipe the smile off her face. In just one day, she'd seen her bros blossom and open up about their heritage. Her original impressions about Martian culture had been blows apart and honestly, she was thrilled to know so many details.

Entering the garage, she stopped and stared at the trio of bikes lined up beside her own. Such a difference from her usual companions, it was quite strange to think that she was going home with those three instead. She already trusted these guys; Emily had given her word that none of the guys in SAU 14 would make any unwanted moves.

Closest was a green and grey, heavy duty dirt bike looking beast. A change of colour and she'd swear it was a KTM machine. Definitely a war bike though, with a pair of mounted dual heavy lasers and a lased rifle slung against the left side. It also had a neatly bound bedroll tied on the back of the saddle and a pair of small saddlebags draped over that.

Then was a red and white street tourer, with a full set of panniers and a strange webbing and metal contraption folded on top. Looked for all the world like a Honda Gold Wing loaded up for a long trip. Across the saddle sat an earth rifle and a Martian pistol still in its holster. There was also a small missile launcher hanging on the right side, partly behind the pannier there.

Lastly was a larger grey and brown creation with exposed framing around the front end and big chips out of the front fairings. Just in front of the handlebars, a tightly lashed roll of fabric filled the space at the base of the attached windshield. One large pannier sat on the back, streamlined to help with speed but also heavily reinforced, suggesting it contained something quite heavy.

'Whoa momma, I knew these guys were set for war but that's wild.' Modo uttered as he backed up a half step.

'That's a medical symbol, the other two I can't pick.' Throttle added, pointing to a small black symbol on the red and white bike.

Wandering over with a small messenger bag over one shoulder, Shift chuckled softly as he approached the group. He wasn't all that surprised by their reactions. Even in a small team, the many and varied bikes of their unit could give anyone pause…even without Falcon's massive custom build.

'Emily told me to gather a good team, so I picked some of our best that fit the height requirements. Best I could do was a partial colour match with Modo, the rest…we'll just have to see how dumb guppy butt's goons actually are.'

'Considering what I've already seen, dumber than we ever anticipated. I mean, come on. Taking random pot shots at Falcon of all people. That's a new level of human stupidity there.'

Joining the group, he made for an intimidating figure. As tall as Modo, but broader in the shoulders, he carried himself with a proud grace. Lighter grey, broken up by a band of chocolate brown fur running from somewhere up between his antennae right down to his belt in a naturally flowing line.

'You must be Center Line. It's a pleasure to meet you.' Charley smiled, getting in before her bros could say anything cheeky.

'Pleasure is all mine, Ma'am. You can call me Bias, most everyone else does.' He replied, taking her hand lightly in his own. 'Less of a mouthful in conversation.'

'So what role do you fill, Bias?' Charley asked, releasing his hand slowly.

'Second slot in the Heavy Gunner team. We're only a small team, just three of us. But we know how to make a heck of a big noise.' Center Line laughed and motioned to the grey and brown bike. 'That's my girl Flash Point. She ain't a looker, but she knows just how to get her point across. Got a new heavy repeater installed last week, still working on refining the coverings.'

'I might be able to help with that, if you'll allow me.' Charley nodded as she looked at the angular panniers again.

'I'd appreciate that, Ma'am. We're good at building weapons, not so good with makin' 'em look nice.' Center Line grinned easily. 'So who's meant to be leading this one Shift?'

'That'd be me, Bias.'

Everyone jumped at the voice out of nowhere. Looking around and pushing Vinnie back when he moved to shield her, Charley gasped as a much darker mouse seemingly appeared out of nowhere between a couple of the other bikes.

He wasn't black, or grey, but some sort of dark shade that defied description. The best Charley could come up with was a greyish-green sort of colour. Whatever colour it was, it popped against the bright red vest he retrieved from his bike and pulled on. Circling the waiting bikes, he ran one hand through his straw blonde hair and smiled fondly.

'Name's Kawasaki or just Saki for short. Section Head for the Commando squad within the unit, it'll be my responsibility to keep you and the garage safe until your bros are ready to head out tomorrow.' He explained, offering out his hand in greeting. 'Sorry about the startle, most of the guys are used to the way I blend into the shadows.'

'Kawasaki…as in the Earth brand of motorcycles?' Throttle asked, eyeing him warily.

'What can I say? My mom liked crotch rockets.' Kawasaki shrugged, then cringed when he realised what he'd just said.

'Oh momma.'

'Well, at least you're honest about it.' Charley chuckled, hoping to dispel the embarrassing moment. 'So you've got the other dark bike?'

'Yeah, that's my girl…I just know I'll cop it for this…her name is Honda.'

That was it. The bros totally lost it. Vinnie bent over, hands braced on his knees as he howled with laughter. Throttle was leaning on Modo, the pair of them almost in tears from their laughter. Charley just stood there, shaking her head in wonder.

'You'll have to excuse these three boneheads.'

'Don't worry 'bout it Charley. Emily had a similar reaction the first time she met Honda. I never put it together until I got here. Makes sense though, my dad used to work in a bike factory, so naturally he'd help me get a bike with a name to suit me in all ways.' Kawasaki shrugged, mostly ignoring the cackling trio. 'With your permission, we could install some basic protection around the garage so no one can ever catch you unaware again. Nothing too obvious, but enough to give you a chance.'

'I'd appreciate that, Saki. I can't always rely on the guys being around when Greasepit comes around to bug me again. Not that these three ever want me to get into a fight anyway.' Charley replied, already feeling quite comfortable around the darker mouse.

'I have a feeling that they'll change their attitude fairly soon.' Saki laughed softly. 'Bias, go grab trailer 12, we'll be needing that tonight as well.'

'You got it Saki. C'mon FP, let's go.' Centre Line nodded and wandered away to grab the requested trailer.

'I've got a stocked medical kit ready to be installed as well, Charley. Everything you'll ever need in one handy box; labelled and arranged for easy use.' Shift added as he mounted his bike. 'It's already on trailer 12, ready for installation.'

'Well that will certainly be of use. The number of times I've had to patch these three up is unbelievable.'

'I'd believe it.' Shift replied with a shrug. 'I'm a medic; I've seen it all before.'

'Alright you knuckleheads, time to say goodnight. We've got to hit the road or we won't get to the garage until after dark.' Kawasaki guided, watching the still cackling trio. 'Honestly, you'd think they've never encountered an ironically named mouse before.'

'Ah, thank Yarila that I caught you.'

This time the speaker was pure white and dressed in a green vest and jeans combo. Shouldering Throttle out of the way, he slipped past Charley and burrowed in under Kawasaki's raised arm with a low sound of happiness.

'Shh, it's all good Hammer.' Saki soothed, wrapping him up in both arms. 'Remember, I told you I had an assignment tonight.'

'I know, I know. I just…' Hammer nodded, head nestling under Saki's chin. 'It's a bad time.'

'Aw baby, I'm sorry. I really wish I could stay, you know I hate leaving when you're feeling down. But there's no one else that fit’s the height requirement and can install the defence network for the garage.' Saki uttered, gliding his fingers through Hammer's hair slowly.

'Fuck, I didn't account for that.' Shift muttered, watching the pair for a moment. 'Shit, the rest of his squad is even smaller.'

'I don't see any real reason why he can't join the group. I don't mind in the slightest.' Charley offered, glancing at Shift as she spoke. 'Unless he's needed here for something important.'

'You sure, Charley? Hammer's got some unique issues that require special attention.' Shift warned quietly.

'It's gonna be okay, love. I'm here, I've got you. Just breathe; everything is going to be okay.' Kawasaki continued, glancing at Charley cautiously. 'You really mean that Miss Charley?'

'Merciful Aricha…I thought that was a myth.' Modo breathed as he came up beside Charley.

'Of course, Saki. It's clear that Hammer needs you close right now.' Charley nodded and looked up at Modo. 'What are you talking about?'

'That'd be me, Charley.' Hammer replied, lifting his head and looking at her. 'I'm the myth, shouldn't have survived my first few years, let alone reached adulthood.'

'Has Anvil got your spare bodysuit? I remember Chris had to repair one of them for you.' Saki asked softly, drawing Hammer's attention back to him.

'I don't know. Chris said she'd put it back when she was finished repairing it. But with the preparations, I haven't been able to catch her again.' Hammer admitted.

'Why don't I reach out to Chris while you make sure Anvil is ready for action?' Shift suggested as he reached into one of his pockets.

'Thanks Shift.' Hammer nodded and reluctantly parted from Kawasaki. 'Anvil, c'mon now. We've got a job!'

Peeling out of the silent ranks with a deep growl, this bike looked like it would be at home on any MotoGP track around the world. Gleaming green and white paint, complemented by a handful of sponsorship decals across the front fairings. On the back, three panniers were carefully shaped to follow the sleek lines without compromising battle effectiveness. Beeping once, Anvil opened the panniers so Hammer could examine what was already loaded.

'Hammer's a unique case. Far as I know, he's the only true albino to survive past five. The fact he's made it to 25 is incredible honestly. As a unit, we don't make a big deal out of it, we just get on with life and make allowances for Hammer just like we do for everyone else with a condition.' Kawasaki admitted while keeping most of his attention on Hammer.

'They're considered myths because of the super low survival rate. I never even thought it possible for an albino to survive on Mars. I think I've only heard of three in my entire life, and those were in memory announcements.' Throttle added, watching Hammer in wonder.

'Like I said, we don't make a big deal about it. Hammer is who he is, and we all accept him just the way he is.' Kawasaki shrugged, making it clear that they were to drop the topic immediately.

'I'm so sorry about that Hammer. I meant to bring it down yesterday, but with all the preparations going on, it totally slipped my mind.' Christine called, running into the room with two small bags in her hands. 'Here, it's freshly laundered and ready to go. I packed you a go bag as well, with some of your favourites.'

'Aww thanks Christine. You didn't need to go to any trouble.' Hammer grinned, accepting both bags and turning to pack them away safely.

'It's no trouble, Hammer. I packed go bags for everyone else, only fair you had one as well.'

'You're too good to all of us, Chris.' Kawasaki chuckled, punching her in the shoulder lightly. 'Alright, load 'em up! Let's hit the road!'

Hugging her original three bros tight for a few moments, Charley smiled fondly when Vinnie pressed a kiss to her cheek before letting go. Catching her helmet, she mounted up and rolled her eyes as her new protection detail encircled her, engines revving in harmony.

'Sleep easy, bros. We've got the watch tonight.' Kawasaki called, waving to the trio as they pulled away and headed up the winding ramp.

'Don't pout, lil' Vin. She's in safe hands. They all know that she's your interest and heard the promise that no one else is to chase her until she decides what to do with you. Come on, let's head back in and relax before bed.' Christine soothed, gently turning Vinnie around and guiding him back towards the base proper. 'You two coming?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pictures of the SAU 14 mice can be found here. If you want a better pic of anyone in particular, just ask and I'll be sure to upload something.  
> https://www.deviantart.com/black-hunter-666/gallery/31598492/SAU-14


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